The Others: The First Year
by AlcatrazOutpatient
Summary: I think its fair that the world knows the truth of the events that occurred five years ago on the Day of Freedom. It didn't happen as the media told you it did. This is the beginning. This is the first part of the story, the beginning of the end.
1. I Can Talk to Dead People

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 1: I Can Talk To Dead People**

I don't know what made you decide to click on the little blue link that led you to this page. Morbid curiosity, or maybe a distinct lack of self-preservation. Either way, I believe that you should be warned ahead of time.

If you're reading this hoping for an explanation about all the weird things that have been happening lately, then I have one piece of advice for you: hit the back button now. Turn off your computer, go outside, and believe whatever bullshit story the media is feeding you today. Live a Normal life.

If you are a Normal reading this because you're incredibly bored…well, I have to say that I'm a bit jealous of you. You'll probably ignore this warning and go about your life, believing that all of this is a plot line that somebody made up in their head. That this is fiction. As in not real.

That there are no such things as Others.

Being an Other sounds cool when you first hear about it. It will probably be after you take sort of standardized test that is given to all high school students in your country. You're a teenager with your whole life ahead of you, and you get chosen to learn something that your classmates wouldn't come up with in their wildest dreams. It's an explanation for all the freaky things that have been happening in your life, and for once, it actually makes sense.

But the world of the Others has broken people, driven them insane. It can curse you, bind you in darkness, and then leave you alone to rot. It can be the worst thing that ever happens to you and the most amazing thing in the world at the same time.

Trust me, I know.

It's almost like an addiction. You know that it's dangerous as hell, but the power you wield…the things you can do…You keep coming back for more because being a Normal is so boring in comparison.

But I digress. I've gotten completely off topic.

So this is your last chance. Back out now, remain ignorant of the truth, live as a Normal. Or you can read on. I mean, it's a pretty good story, if you want to look at it like that.

But seriously, hit the back button. It's for the best.

…

…

Still here?

Oh, well. Can't say I didn't warn you.

* * *

High school was supposed to be the best four years of your life. It was the place that defined you, that brought out your best qualities and showed you the path that you wanted to take for the rest of your life. It was a coming of age tale filled with love, rebellion, and friendships that last a lifetime.

Obviously, Domino High never got the message.

Seriously, it was like I was stuck in a teen movie, only I was one of those overworked and underpaid extras that got about three and a half seconds of screen time.

So instead of a coming of age tale, my high school experience was plagued with alienation, teen angst, occasional moments of nudity, and watching my sister drag herself home from all-night parties.

Yeah.

You could say that my life sucked a bit.

Since we're on the topic of comparing things to films, I might as well drag out the old bucket of stereotypes.

So, you have your jock. The popular muscle-bound thug with enough brains to fill about half a soda can. If you were lucky. At Domino, his name was Joey Wheeler. He was our star football player.

And by football, I meant American football. Not European football, which they call soccer here. I kind of missed calling it football. I didn't really get what was so great about sports. Wheeler was most likely going to go profession once he hit college, break his knee, and then never play again. No more money and fame for him.

Then, you had the school princess/head cheerleader/alpha female/I-can-make-your-life-a-living-hell-with-the-right-words-in-the-right-place girl. Enter Tea Gardner. And while I admit she could be pretty tidy at times, she is a real bitch. The corridors was her personal catwalk. Girls wanted to be her girlfriend. Boys wanted to be her boyfriend. But she didn't have any time for them. She never seemed to be in a hurry, because nothing in the universe would ever dare upset her, lest they face her wrath.

Tristan Taylor was our resident wannabe. He was an average kid from an average background that Wheeler picked up along the way and didn't let go of. He clung to Wheeler, because that was where he got his power and authority. Without him, Taylor would be lost in the chaotic world that was high school. It was kind of sad, really.

Duke Devlin was the hunk, the laddish that had half the school wrapped around his finger. He had a different girl hanging off his arm whenever I saw him. He seemed to have the notion stuck in his head that the world revolved around him and everyone else lived to serve him. A true narcissist, that one was.

Miho Nosaka was the smart Asian girl that was top of the class in everything - and I mean everything. I swore that this girl was averaging over ninety five percent over all. The problem was that she barely spoke a word of English after immigrating from Japan last year. Seriously, getting his girl to string a few words together was almost impossible.

Serenity Wheeler was Wheeler's girl next door younger sister, the average female with looks that aren't particularly striking but not horrendously ugly either. She wasn't much of anything, for that matter. Not smart, not stupid, not rich, not poor. Not outspoken or shy. She was just boring, in my opinion.

And finally, you have my sister.

I struggled to come up with a stereotype for Amane. At school she was the party animal; the must-have person at almost every off-campus, semi-illegal drinking event planned by anyone who was anyone in our school. At home she was the perfect daughter. She helped with the chores, did her homework, and helped little old ladies cross the street.

I didn't know how anybody could keep up that kind of double life. I had enough trouble with just one.

But, of course, what mind-numbing high school drama was complete without the loser. The outcast that was shunned by the entire student body because their existence was just so wrong. The guy that you spread rumours about ("I hear he fucks dead bodies" is a favourite) until he snapped and punched somebody in the face.

The kid you knocked out during your third wee and tie to a pole starkers just for the hell of it.

I was that guy.

My name is Ryou Bakura, but don't call me Ryou. If you call me by my first name and you're dead. Only my family called me Ryou, and that was when they decided to acknowledge my existence at all. Which was, like, twice a year. Maybe.

I was born in Cardith, Wales to Andrew and Natsuki Bakura. I was seventeen years old and 'suffering' from albinism. That meant that I burnt really easily, couldn't stand bright lights, and had no pigmentation in my hair, eyes, or skin. At least, that was what Wikipedia said; I had never gotten official diagnosed. And even though I was her twin brother, Amane received none of my problems.

We moved to America three years ago because my mother got a job working as a secretary for some bloke in a big company. Now we lived in Domino City, located in the great state of New York. The divine effect that the high rise buildings create wore off after about five days.

So I was the freak. The loser. The outcast in this story. The kid that got their clothes dumped in the toilet after gym class and slammed into lockers. I didn't take their shite, though. After all, violence didn't have to be obvious and out in the open. It can be cold, slow and sneaky. And sometimes…sometimes if I just wanted it enough…

…oh…

…I didn't…

…

I wondered there was something wrong with me. Aside from the obvious, of course. It was just…

I ran away once, when I was eleven and still living in the UK. I was gone for about a week before I ran out of money. I was so hungry and cold and scared and I just wanted to go home even though my parents had forgotten my birthday for the second year in a row in favour of my sister's and –

I woke up in my bed the next morning. My parents hadn't even realized I was gone.

And shortly after I moved here, I got mugged in an alley. Hey, it was six against one. I probably could have taken two of them, but I was outnumbered and I was a weedy little teenager. At some point I just lashed out and then the next thing I knew they were all lying on the ground, screaming about demons and monsters.

I heard that they were all locked up in an asylum somewhere now. I didn't know what I did, but I knew it was my fault.

And…well, there was this other thing I could do. And it was constant, so I knew that it wasn't just my imagination. I can…I…

I can talk to dead people.

It was true. I could see them as clearly as I saw this crude imitation of food that the cafeteria gives out. There was a cemetery about a block away from school, so I usually went there during lunch or if I was skiving. There were lots of old people, a couple of families, and a four year old girl named Rebecca in the back. She died in a car accident the year before I came here and she said I was her hero.

It figured that the only friends I would have only make me seem barmy if I ever mentioned them in public.

I didn't know if it was all in my head or if it was real but…when Rebecca told me that, for the first time in my life I actually felt proud of being me.

I hope that I wasn't mad. I didn't know if I could handle being mad on top of being the freak. I wished that someone would tell me what was going on with me, that it's all some delusion or something puberty decided to throw at me.

Oh well. Time to enjoy my daily dose of nuclear waste – I mean, cafeteria food.

Yeah. Food. That's what I meant.

* * *

_Saturday, October 8th, 2016_

"Mr. Bakura! Mr. Bakura!" The childish voice of Rebecca filled my ears and my ears alone. Even though I was alone in the cemetery, no one would have ever known she existed.

Rebecca was four years old when she died. Her grandfather had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree. He survived with only minor injures while Rebecca's chest cavity had caved in.

Funny how life works that way.

"Hey sproglet," I replied as I sat down underneath the tree near her grave. "Anything new happen today?"

Rebecca bit her lip as a frown passed over her freckled face, "Grandpa came to visit at lunch time. He didn't see me again."

I sighed sadly. The spirit-girl had yet to come to terms with the fact that she was dead. But then again, four year-olds didn't usually have a great concept of death in the first place and Rebecca didn't seem to age, either physically or mentally.

"Don't fret about it, Rebecca," I said, trying to reassure her of something that probably wouldn't happen. "I'm sure he'll see you next time."

The girl smiled happily; even her blonde pigtails seemed to glow at the idea of being able to speak to her grandfather again.

She sat down beside me and rested her head against my shoulder. There was no temperature change: Rebecca wasn't warm like a living person, but she wasn't corpse-cold either. There was weight and feeling behind her actions, but nothing to indicate that she had a body.

"So," she began. "How was it?"

"How was what?" I answered.

"The test!" She huffed and her form went translucent for a second before returning to its original pastel existence, "The one you've been doing all that reading for. The sitting test!"

"What the bloody hell is a sitting test?" I almost asked, before realizing what Rebecca was referring to. "You mean my SATs?"

She gave me a look, "I don't know why you keep spelling it out. I know how to read."

I had to smile at that, "It was tough."

"How tough?"

"Really tough."

Three hours. Two hundred and fifty questions. Yeah, I'd call that tough.

Except, there was one thing that was still bugging me. On that bubble sheet where you fill out your name so they know who was writing the test, there was something really odd. An option that said: If you can see this, fill in the bubble to the left.

What the hell was that about anyways? Some sort of vision test? I didn't understand why the geniuses who design SATs for a living decided to put something like that on the test. Obviously they had nothing better to do with some empty space.

Rebecca was going on about one of the other spirits in the cemetery, but I was only half-listening. The rest of me was focused on the two people walking up the tombstones and grave markers towards me. I spotted shaggy blonde hair and spiked brown and instantly knew who they were.

Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor. Those two were attached at the hip, I swear.

"Fuck," I muttered.

Rebecca gasped, "Mr. Bakura! You said a bad word!"

"Rebecca," the sound came out harsher than I wanted it to. "Go hide. Don't come out until I come get you, no matter what you hear."

She tried to argue, but one of the other spirits (a woman in her mid-forties) took her away and gave me a withering look.

"Who ya talken to, freak?" Wheeler's Brooklyn accent always became more pronounced when he was angry, and by the looks of it he was down right pissed off.

"Probably a ghost." Oh Taylor, you had no idea how right you were. "Didn't you hear? The she-male here is into all that occult stuff. Dances with the devil in the pale moonlight, and all that."

Bloody hell, couldn't they come up with new insults? The she-male thing was something that my primary school classmates made up after I started growing my hair out. Somehow my eight year-old brain had come to the conclusion that my parents ignored me because I was a boy and making myself look like a girl would turn me into one. Afterwards, I kept the look because I liked it.

As for the occult thing, that was my sister's doing. She liked to make up these crazy lies about me. I swore that Amane had half Domino High believing that I hung torture equipment on my walls and sacrificed animals to a bunch of pagan gods in there.

For your information, my room was painted light blue. I had a bed in the corner, a desk, and a book shelf stacked with a variety of science-fiction novels that the librarian I worked for let me keep or that I stole from stores over the years.

"I've gotta bone to pick with ya, freak," Wheeler grabbed me by my shirt and hauled me to my feet. "I saw ya looking at ma sister today."

This is complete bollocks, by the way. Serenity Wheeler was two years younger than me and therefore we didn't share any classes. We sat on opposite sides of the cafeteria and didn't even have lockers on the same floor. Wheeler most likely just saw Duke Devlin staring at his sister again (Devlin fancies her, of all people) and decided to take it out on me.

However, right now we weren't surrounded by teachers who will look the other way when these two prats wanted to beat someone into a pulp. And I'd decided to get creative.

"Wheeler, you've got five seconds to get your hands off of me," I tried to make my voice sound as menacing as possible, which wasn't really that hard. My voice is deep and scratchy, enough to do the trick.

"Tryin' to be all tough now, limey-boy." Oh, that one was new. "Give me one reason why I should."

I sneered, "Look around, mate. You're in my arena now. And this graveyard…it's full of restless spirits."

The real, non-restless, and mostly subdued spirits in the nearby graves had all stopped what they had been doing and started to look at me. An elderly couple who must have died in the late 50's turned their heads. The spirit-woman from before was trying to keep one eye on me and another on Rebecca, who kept popping up to watch. A teenaged boy, lanky and fifteen, leaned against his gravestone.

What felt like a drop of water rolled down my arm. Which was odd, considering that it was sunny out and it hadn't rained in a week.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," I continued. "All those things going around school about my…hobbies. They're true." It was time for my sister's lies to start helping me, "But lately I've realized that animal blood isn't enough to quench my appetite anymore. I need something…bigger."

I smiled a demented smile, "Something like you."

Wheeler had gone white, shaking in his shoes like a kid after he'd heard his first ghost story. Surprisingly, Taylor was holding his ground better. But there was something in both their eyes, something that I'd only ever seen in glimpses before. And now it was clear as day.

Fear.

Sweet, delicious fear.

They were scared shit of me, always have been and probably always will be. And like the big lads they were, they had to prove that they were not afraid by fighting the dragon. Or by shoving him into the lockers, whatever works.

And then it happened.

The teenager from before tackled Taylor into the ground, slamming into him with the force of an invisible SUV. But that was impossible: up until now, the only person the spirits had been able to touch was me.

The kid ripped something from Taylor's hand, flinging it in a random direction with a flash of silver. He then turned to Wheeler and said, "Get out."

If it were possible, the football player's face lost a few more shades of colour. And I knew in an instant he had heard those words.

The two nightmares of my secondary school life ran off screaming like pre-pubescent girls.

For a moment, everything became very still as I tried to process what just happened. Which was a very hard thing to do, considering that my brain had stopped working.

"He was going for his gun, man" the kid, who I vaguely remembered was named Rick, said. "I had to do something."

"How did you do that?" My mouth had started working again.

"Do what?"

"That!" I said, pointing to the ground, "Right now. How did you…"

This was impossible. It couldn't have happened…it shouldn't have…

It…it…

It did happen, and fuck, what was I going to do?

"Oh," smiled Rick, finally catching on. "That. That was you."

"What?"

What? What?

"Yeah. I don't really know how to describe it but that power definitely came from you."

No…no way…no fucking way, that was impossible. These spirits, they couldn't be real. There was no way, no way that they were real. Just some sick fantasy that my mind made up to deal with my loneliness.

"Hey," Rich said, moving forward in concern. "You alright? You look a bit-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed, "You're not real! You can't be real!"

Fake things don't knock people down, boss, a voice hissed in the back of my mind. Fake things don't save people's lives.

Besides, another voice this time, and for some reason I thought of the desert. They were real to you a minute ago.

I backed up against the tree, grabbing at the bark behind me for some semblance of normal. I was scared…so scared for the first time since I saw my grandfather at his own funeral.

The spirits – no, they weren't spirits, not real, just my mind and, oh god, get me out of here – were moving closer. All of them. I wanted…I just wanted…

I wanted out. I wanted to get out of here and go home and I wanted to stay there even though Amane got all the attention and my parents had forgotten me, but it was safe there and please I'd never wanted anything this much before –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

I landed face first into something soft and familiar. I took a few minutes to calm myself down, because right now I was safe. I was safe because this was my bed and my room was my sanctuary where no one ever enters and –

Wait.

I opened my eyes and looked around.

Blue walls. Check.

Bed. Check.

Desk. Check.

Book shelf and accompanying sci-fi books. Check.

This was my room. Yep, definitely my room. My home, my sanctuary, my little space in the world where I didn't have to worry about anything.

A room located in a building five blocks west of the cemetery, which I had traveled to in less then ten seconds.

I shoved my fist in my mouth to keep myself from screaming.

This couldn't be happening. I couldn't have done what I think I just did. Normal people didn't teleport. And I was pretty sure I hadn't said "Beam me up, Scotty" or randomly turned into Nightcrawler.

Grabbing the sheet that covered my bed, I crawled beneath the desk in the corner and wrapped them around myself. I felt ten years-old and vulnerable as hell again.

"What's happening to me?" I asked.

No one answered.

* * *

When I look back on these memories now, my first thoughts are usually about how stupid I was not to realize what I was.

But stupid is the wrong word.

Stupid implies that I had all the facts and had simply refused to acknowledge them. But the thing is, I didn't have all the facts. The stuff that was happening to me seemed to be right out of one of my science-fiction novels. The key word here being fiction.

And even as firm as I was to deny it, I knew something was different about me. That I wasn't a Normal. That I was something else.

So I wouldn't say I was stupid.

I wasn't stupid enough not to realize what was happening to me.

I was just naïve enough to think that I was the only one.

* * *

**Hey.**

**Just wanted to put this out as a pilot chapter for something that I'm working on right now. Tell me what you think.**

**Just to warn you for the near future, this fic is not only a Darkshipping story, but a genderbent Darkshipping story. You read that right: Atem will be a girl. Why? I can't tell you that; it would be a spoiler!**

**I seem to be giving out a lot of warnings...**

**Anyways, please read and review. I love your feed back,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**

**PS: I have nothing against Tea, Tristan, or Joey. I just needed someone to fill those roles. Also, Ryou Bakura is really Yami Bakura here. I'm not going to use a name like Touzuko or Thief King or whatever because...well...they show up later...**


	2. Of Course It's Real, Dumbass

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Of Course It's Real, Dumbass**

_Tuesday, October 11th, 2016_

I hadn't left the house in three days.

I'd barely ate, I'd barely slept, and I had currently missed my second day of school in a row.

The good news was that I hadn't had anymore outbursts of…whatever happened in the graveyard.

The bad news was that I looked and felt like absolute crap.

I didn't trust myself enough to venture out into the world again. The best I could do right now were ten minute trips to the kitchen and back and even then I broke out into a cold sweat.

My iPad was out of batteries again. Well, it wasn't really mine. It used to be Amane's, who threw it away as soon as DOMA released its 3D version of it. Forget about the Apple and Microsoft wars of the past; everything was DOMA and KaibaCorp now. What I was holding in my hands was practically considered ancient these days.

But it was my only real connection to the outside world right now, so I kind of needed to fix that. Sadly, I didn't have a laptop to charge it with. Amane, however, did.

Which means I needed to exit my room…You know, I could probably live without it for a while and re-read some of my books, maybe. I had yet to beat my record of reading The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trilogy (which is in five parts, for those of you who didn't know) in two days. I could try that again. It was totally worth the sleep deprivation.

No, I would not let this fear beat me. I was not afraid to step out of my room. I was not going to go crazy, the dead wouldn't walk in the streets, and the end of the world would not occur. Maybe.

"Okay, big breaths, Bakura, big breaths. Turn the handle; it won't bite you, I promise. Now open the door, that's it…"

I was out. Suddenly this seemed like a very bad idea.

I started walking towards Amane's room, which was at the opposite end of the corridor. There was a washroom and a stairway separating us. I kept a single hand on the wall (it was real, it had always been real and always will be.)

The doorbell rang. Amane came running out of her room. Her black hair (no albino genes for her) flew behind her as she shoved me out of the way and rushed down the stairs. It was most likely Gardner from school or Miho. Amane was teaching her English.

But if Amane was downstairs, then her room was free.

Lucky!

I bolted in, closed the door behind me and turned on her DOMA laptop. Personally, I was a KaibaCorp fan, but if it works I wasn't really complaining.

DOMA developed a way to recharge their products wirelessly about a year ago, but my iPad still required a USB cable. I pulled the white cord from my jeans pocket and –

"Is that my iPad?" Amane's voice came from the doorway. I turned around. Shit.

Amane took after our father in the same way I took after mom. Her long black hair shone in the right light and her face was heart-shaped like his. Right now she was wearing a green t-shirt and white caprees, but it was still day time. I guessed that I shouldn't expect her to be wearing only her bitch boots, short-shorts, and bra until after the sun went down.

"Hand it over," she ordered. "It's mine, give it back."

"No way, you've got your own," I held it protectively against my chest.

"Give it back, freak," she repeated, the sneer on her face made her look ugly. "It's not like you'll be needing anyways, where you're going."

Now Amane has said some weird stuff before, but this was just odd, "Going? I'm not going anywhere."

"Yeah, you are," she laughed. "Some guy is talking to mom and dad right now about taking you away. I bet he's from the madhouse. Gonna lock you up where you belong."

I swore that my heart stopped beating just then. Take me away? I couldn't leave here. My room was my sanctuary. It was what kept me grounded for the past few days, kept me from going crazy…

Crazy…Oh fuck!

I thought that I said that last bit out loud, but I really didn't care. I dropped the iPad on the ground as I raced down the stairs, barely catching the "Good riddance!" Amane threw after me.

Jumping the last three steps, I hurled myself down the corridor and wrenched the kitchen door open. Three pairs of eyes turned towards me, but I was only interested in one.

The man sat across from my parents in a tailored black suit and tie. A matching fedora hat was perched on his head. His face was lined with age, but his unkempt black hair and beard made him look younger than he probably was.

His eyes though, were the deepest shade of purple I had ever seen.

I suddenly became very aware of my own image, which didn't happen a lot. My hair had taken on a life of its own after three days of not showering, becoming wilder than usual. My red eyes (results of my albinism) were surrounded by dark circles and crows feet. I hadn't changed out of my clothing since the cemetery and I thought I was starting to smell.

Combine that with my usually ghostly-white skin and I looked like the poster child for the mentally disturbed, which wasn't the best first impression you want to leave on the shrink who was going to lock you up in a padded cell for the rest of your life.

"Ah, you must be Bakura," the man said, and I was slightly freaked out that he already knew that I preferred my surname over my first. "Come have a seat, son. We were just talking about you."

I didn't sit. I came into the kitchen and stumbled my way over to the table. I even gripped the back of the chair. But I didn't sit.

"My name is Solomon Moto," the man continued. "And I was just telling your parents about –" I interrupted him.

"I'm not crazy."

Moto blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"You're a doctor, right?" I started shaking just then. "You think you can fix me? I won't let you take me away."

The man raised his hand to silence me, "Bakura, I am not here to fix you. There is nothing to fix about you, as nothing is wrong with you in the first place."

And when I looked him in the eye, red to dark purple, I could see that he believed those words.

I sat down.

"I was just talking to your parents about my school," he continued. "Atlantis School for the Gifted. Now you are being offered a place at my school. You have certain…talents we'd like to expand on." Moto winked, and my blood ran cold.

"Now listen here," my father started. "I'm sure Amane would be a much better choice –"

"We don't want your daughter, we want your son," Deep purple eyes moved momentarily to my father before dismissing him and refocusing on me. "Atlantis is only a part time school. The program you will be participating in will work in unison with your current school. During your first year you will be spending two weeks on campus with us and two weeks at Domino High School in order to get your high school diploma.

"After your first year is complete, you will enter our apprenticeship program were you will be paired with an expert in the field of your choice –"

"Excuse me," it was my mother this time. "He isn't going anywhere. We will not be paying for this…"

Moto kept going as if she had never said a word, "Two weeks a month will be spent with your master and the other two will be spend at Atlantis where you will continue to learn from your regular teachers. You're on full scholarship, by the way Bakura." He spared a glance at mom, "Everything from tuition to boarding is covered for all five years. We even pay for your transport."

This sounded far too good to be true. Everyone these days was looking to make money and what this man was offering sounded a lot like a scam. Free education? At least normal schools had you paying through your taxes, but extra curricular programs were all privatized. But there was something Moto wasn't telling me, and I didn't realize what it was until my father asked his question.

"What exactly are you planning to teach him, Mr. Moto?"

Moto paused for a moment and sighed, muttering something about "not wanting to do this."

Suddenly, I was hit by the intense smell of ozone and burning rubber. Except, now that I think of it, it wasn't really a smell. It was more in my mind than anything else. Moto turned to my parents and Spoke.

Yes, Spoke with a capital S. That's the only way to describe the words that came out of his mouth.

"You don't need to know what he will be learning. It is of no interest to you. Please leave us now, I need to have a talk with Bakura."

To my utter surprise, my parents listened. They got up from their seats with blank looks on their faces and walked out the door. It closed with a click and the thought-smell of ozone faded.

"I am out of practice with that one," Moto sighed, talking to himself. "I almost lost them there at the end."

"Are you a Jedi?" Not the best choice of words, mind you, but you could probably see where I was coming from. Moto had just done something that looked like a mind-trick used by George Lucas' galactic defenders of the peace.

Moto sighed, "No, not a Jedi. Nothing that simple."

He turned to look at me and I felt as if he were dissecting me with his eyes, "Do you know why, Bakura?" he asked.

"Why what?" I wasn't used to talking to someone for extended lengths of time.

"Why your parents ignore you," he answered. "Why your sister hates you. Why everywhere you go you are the outcast, no matter how hard you try to be otherwise."

I was too stunned to speak. Did this man, this person who had just walked into my life ten minutes ago, have the answer to the questions I had been asking myself all my life?

"It's because," he continued, "deep down in the most primal part of their minds, they fear you. There is a little voice that they don't know exists, shouting, 'Don't go near him. He's dangerous. He could beat you with powers you can't even understand.'"

I tried to picture a miniature Joey Wheeler flailing his arms and shouting, "Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!" It was pretty amusing.

Moto reached forwards and grabbed the pepper shaker from the middle of the table, "In our world there are two types of people. The first group are called Normals, because they are simply that: normal." He tapped the clear plastic that surrounded the ground up pepper corns. "They are the majority of people in the world. They are your family, your classmates, your teachers. Even random people you meet on the street.

"But then there is the second group." The man set the shaker down and knocked it over. A few grounds fell out of the holes and on to the table. "For the most part, they don't look that different from Normals. But the thing that really separates the two is what this group can do."

Moto leaned forwards as if to share a secret, "By the time I was your age Bakura, I had Summoned alien ducks to an empty duck pond, Morphed my step-father's sports car into a work of modern art, and Teleported from Seattle to Los Anglos in about a minute and a half.

"You're different, Ryou Bakura. There are people out there that would kill for the gifts you have, and I mean that quite literally. I am here to make sure you learn to control your powers, so that when you decide to use them you can do so effectively."

My jaw hung open and I lost the use of my voice. Was this real? I mean, was this actually happening? Did this man honestly have the same things happen to him when he was a child?

Was there really someone who understood all the freaky things that had happened to me lately?

Were there others as well?

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling every knot and tangle that had developed in the past three days. I tried speaking once or twice, but no sound came out.

The third time, however, was the charm, "What am I?"

Moto smiled, "Throughout history we have been called many things: witches, wizards, magicians, sorcerers, warlocks, shamans, diviners, and mediums, just to name a few. As of more recently, we are called Others, because we are simply that: the other."

Resting my face in my hands, I tried to digest the earthshattering, groundbreaking, and utterly mindfucking knowledge the old man had just passed to me. Magic was real? Had all the weird things – the cemetery, the spirits, the teleportation – been because I was some sort of real-world Gandalf?

I needed to sit down.

Scratch that; I was already sitting down. I needed to lie down.

Things were changed to fast. When I had first walked into the kitchen I had just been a kid; a teenager who lived in a normal suburban community and lived a semi-normal life. Now I was a magician who was going off to some school called Atlantis. What the hell?

I really, really needed to lie down.

I think…I think I…

"I think I'm gonna throw up." With that, I raced over to the kitchen rubbish bin and emptied the contents of my stomach into the plastic container. I sat on my knees, both hands on either side of the bin, and made horrible retching sounds as my churning stomach tried to settle itself.

"I'll get you some water," Moto said.

I held my hair back as another wave of bile came up my throat. Coughing, I told him, "The cups are in –" I stopped short.

The old man waved his hand over the table top and I thought-smelled flowers this time. The wooden surface rippled and up came a ceramic cup.

My eyes widened. No way.

Moto then made a fist over the opening and air condensed into water. It fell into the cup with a splash.

Okay, so magic was real. Very real. Incredibly real. Real as real could get.

"Whoa…"

"I've seen worse reactions," Moto passed me the cup and I downed the water, desperately trying to remove the taste of sick from my mouth, "The girl I met before coming here fainted on me three times. You took it quite well."

He refilled the cup and sat down on the floor with me. "How many of us are there?" I asked.

"Not as many as you think," he replied, "This isn't Harry Potter, Bakura. We don't have a Diagon Alley or a Hogsmeade. Atlantis has only about fifty or sixty students for all five years. In the US, the Others population about a thousand or so, but nobody's really sure these days. Canada has about triple our amount, while Europe and Africa's populations are dwindling. Most of us live in Asia or South America."

I nodded, slowly turning the cup in my hand. "And what's this?" I asked, "Is there some sort of cup making spell?"

"That's Morphing magic: the art of turning one thing into another," Moto explained. "It's one of the six disciplines of magic you will learn about at Atlantis. The cup was a basic spell, while the water was more advanced."

Okay, so it was kind of coming together more or less now. A secret society, that was full of people able to do real magic, was living along side normal…sorry, Normal people since who-knows-how-long. I was part of this group of 'Others.' Sure that made sense, in a sort of roundabout, paradoxical, alternate universe kind of way.

But I had one more question for the old man; a make-or-break question that would finally put to rest all the fears I had about my life.

"Is it common for Others to see dead people?" I tried to make it sound blasé, as if I was asking for the time of day.

Moto's eyes popped, "You can see spirits?"

Crap. Obviously this wasn't a good reaction, "Yeah."

"You're a Necromancer." This time it wasn't a question and there was a hint of awe in Moto's voice, "An honest to goodness Necromancer."

"Okay, sure. I'm a Necromancer," I tensed, feeling very awkward under his gaze. "What's a Necromancer?"

Moto chuckled, "I'm sorry, dear boy. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. A Necromancer is basically a medium between the living and the dead. It's an advanced branch of Summoning."

"But it does happen, right? There have been others before?"

"You're rarer than a Seer," said Moto. "But yes, Necromancy is a gift among the gifted. An Overpower, you might call it."

It felt as if an invisible weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I wasn't crazy. My mind wasn't playing tricks on me, I wasn't schizophrenic, and I definitely wasn't crazy.

I started laughing. Why was I laughing? I didn't know, but then I was crying. I was laughing and crying and I must have looked like a total wreck but fuck! This was the best day of my life!

"I owe Rebecca and the others an apology," I mumbled out loud as Moto leapt to his feet with grace that people his age weren't supposed to have. He extended his hand and helped me haul myself up.

"Concerning paperwork, school supplies and what not, that will all be sent to you by Thursday," Moto explained. "All details about your stay at Atlantis, including the campus location will be provided then. And I know it's early, but classes do start on the seventeenth, which is next Monday."

I nodded, mind still reeling. I wasn't not barmy, I kept thinking. I wasn't crazy! I wasn't!

Moto shook my hand, "I'll be seeing you on Monday then."

Then the floor at his feet rippled and purple mist swirled around him. When it cleared, Solomon Moto had disappeared.

I didn't think I stood there, alone in the kitchen with a cup in my hand and a rubbish bin full of puke, for as long as I thought I did. It felt like an eternity, either way.

Magic was real.

"I wonder how many Normals know," I asked myself, "Not a lot, most likely, based on how eager Moto was talking about it in front of my parents."

I bet the President knew. Though this sort of secret wasn't something to be broadcast across the American government. Or the British one, for that matter.

Or any other government.

So the heads of state hypothetically knew. I was sure there was some random person who knew, but was laughed off as being some sort of crack head. I couldn't tell my parents about this: not only would they not listen because my magic drove them off (one mystery solved), but if they did, they would freak. Amane would too. And I wasn't really close enough to anyone else to spread the knowledge around.

Maybe that was for the best. Maybe this part of magic that warded Normals away was what kept the Others community secret all these years. I was pretty sure if the general public found out about us there would be panic and chaos. Segregation, alienation, and neighbours turning on each other. Like in X-Men.

Or World War II.

Calm down, said a voice in my head, sounding distinctly Japanese. You're heart rate has gone up and you're breathing too fast. Stop thinking and go bathe. You probably stink of sweat and dirt.

A shower would be nice. And sleep. I needed to sleep.

Blinking the grit out of my eyes, I stumbled up the stairs to the washroom. Amane was waiting for me.

"So has he gone to get your straight jacket then?" She asked, "When's he taking you away?"

"He's not," I answered coolly. "Mr. Moto was from a university prep school and was offering me a spot in one of their programs." I gave her an answer that didn't involve magic. "They singled me out for special treatment."

Amane's black eyes blazed with anger. She hated not being number one and this was the first time in a while that I had shown her up. Serves her right, for what she did to me.

"Fuck you, freak," she growled, throwing the iPad she was still carrying on the floor and crushed the screen with a slipper covered foot. As she stormed away, hair swishing behind her, the device fizzled and died.

But I was fine with that.

Wearing the same stupid grin I had walking up the stairs, I entered the toilet. Nothing could get me down tonight because tonight I had discovered my true calling. Soon I was going to learn how to make table tops turn into cups and make water out of air.

And that night when I flopped onto my bed, my hair still wet from my shower, I fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Magic and Others. Others and magic. The two have gone hand in hand since the dawn of human civilization - he'll, it's been around since before even that.

However, Others aren't very clear on their history before the ninth century. We couldn't risk printing books out of fear that one might end up in the hands of a Normal up until recently. There's very few people who know of the events before the Cut Off and they're usually very hard people to get in contact with.

Luckily, I'm one of them.

Once upon a time, magic was quite common. It was an accepted part of life, creating the legends we tell to our children today. And then something happened. Something terrible. Something powerful.

Something that will be explained in later chapters.

Yes, I know I'm an evil bastard.

This event caused a ripple effect across the globe as Magic was torn apart. Fewer and fewer Others were born to each generation. References to the supernatural were wiped from books and artwork overnight.

The ninth century brought the end to the mass use of magic, the collapse of the Mayan Empire, and the invention of gunpowder by Chinese Alchemists that would later usher in a new age of weaponry. Normals became the dominant population on the planet and Others withdrew to the background as their society became a group of rag-tag survivors.

Now I'm sure you're wondering how such a sparsely populated group of people were able to find little old me amongst the overwhelming amount of Normals in the world. It's quite simple actually, if you know what signs to look for.

The first thing you will notice about Others is that we have very abnormal eye colour. Take me for example. I had always thought my red eyes were related to albinism (which I don't actually have, by the way). But people with this condition don't have my particular shade, which can almost be described as demonic. Purple and blue are relatively common colours among Others. Two of my closest friends have purple eyes, though not as deep as Solomon Moto's.

The second sign is more of a biological thing that anything else. To put it frankly: we stink.

But not in the traditional sense of 'stinking.' Smell is the closest thing I can compare it to for Normals to understand. Those 'thought-smells' I was talking about in the earlier section are really my Magical Sixth Sense picking up on Moto's spells. Each discipline has its own thought-smell and they smell different to each person. Marik always says that Summoning smell like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies to him. I think it smells like the ocean and water.

But the point I'm trying to make has to do with the most dreaded aspect of teen life. The most uncomfortable phase that you will ever go through. That little section of existence that makes looking at the opposite sex (or in some cases, the same sex) incredibly, incredibly awkward: puberty.

It's the time where your body goes through a lot of adjustments, changing you from that of a child to a fully grown adult. In the years leading up to then, any magical potential you have lies dormant. But the moment your brain sparks and decides that it's time for you to grow chest hair and have your voice crack, magic explodes out of you. It's so powerful that it has been known to cause power grids to go off line and, in some severe cases, cause natural disasters.

The last major earthquake in San Francisco was actually started by an Other developing magical powers. I think I caused a freak thunderstorm to occur when I hit puberty.

Afterwards you let off a sort of fuzzy thought-smell until you start using magic regularly. So it's quite easy for Trackers to find young Others and give them the education they need, if they follow their noses...metaphorically, of course.

But the final test comes in the form of an actual test. Remember how I mentioned my SATs having an extra option on the bubble sheet? That option was actually covered by a low grade Illusion, something that Others will naturally see through, while Normals will see a blank spot. When I filled that bubble in, my place at Atlantis was set in stone.

Magic, though, is an unpredictable creature. And by creature I mean that literally, because magic is very much alive. He can think, he can breathe, and if you listen closely, you can hear him speak.

He picks and chooses how he wants to wield his power. He creates new defence mechanisms (like the Ward that keeps Normals away from us) to protect his children. He can curse you if you break his laws and reward you for good behaviour.

But the one sure-fire way of communication with Magic is through dreams. It's actually how we learn of our history. One can go to sleep one night and wake up knowing how Canadian Morphers manipulated the weather on D-Day during World War II and were instrumental in the following liberation of the Netherlands.

But as I said before, Magic is unpredictable. One never really wants him to take an active interest in you. Because if he does, you will become a slave of destiny; a soldier who doesn't know who he's fighting, why he's fighting, or when it's going to stop. All he knows is that he must fight because something told him to.

Lucky me…I've had Magic's attention on me since before I was born.

* * *

_I had had dreams like this before, back when I was still living in Cardith. In the dreams, I was a child again, looking as pale and unnatural as I did now. Through these dreams I lived this boy's life in fragments. I had lived with his family (a mother, father, and twin sister, just like mine) in a quaint little village. I had seen them murdered by club wielding bandits when he was five. I watching him run to the capital city of the Mayan Empire and become a thief. And I had been him when he snatched a five year old girl from death as a poorly built market stall collapsed on top of her when he was eight._

_And now, I was skinny and eleven, hands bound with rope as I was lead up the stone steps to my execution. I had finally been caught; six years of stealing and terrorizing the citizens of the capital was at an end. There was only one way this could go now: death._

_I was pushed to my knees and a spear was pointed at the back of my neck. I summoned what little god-power I had control over; if I was going to die, I was going down fighting._

_And then five words (the only five words that I didn't want to hear), echoed over the silent grounds._

_"I want to buy him."_

_It was a girl's voice, high and squeaky yet carrying with it age that no child should have. I glanced up as my stomach dropped._

_Her._

_She was three years older now, but there was no mistaking the tiny girl that I dragged from the wreckage of the crumpled fruit stand. Black hair, short and spiked at odd angles, streaked with gold and tipped with crimson. Her maroon eyes that held more wisdom than most people twice her age. Her flawless tanned skin was draped in linen and jewels._

_And if that wasn't enough to give her true status away, her royal father stood tall and imposing to her left._

_The eight year-old heiress to the Mayan throne, had just bought me as her personal slave._

_The soldiers hauled me away, striping me of my possessions (my father's knife, my mother's necklace, and the only clothing I had) and fastening a ring around my neck. Clad in a rag loincloth and a slave collar designed to choke me if I stepped out of line or decided to run away, I met with my new mistress and her father._

_"You will wait on my daughter at every meal," the king said, "You will attend to her every need. You will do as she asks or you will die, slave."_

_I shouted curses to the sky, insulting their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents. I accused the dead queen of whoring herself to the dogs and the king with his own mother. I damned their gods and promised to kill the princess the moment I got the chance._

_The collar tightened around my neck and cut off my voice. As I gasped for air, the king growled, "You will not speak like that in front of my daughter, slave. Do not forget you are only alive because of her wishes."_

_He pointed to a patch of space on the floor of her bedroom, "You will sleep there, in case she needs something in the night." And with that, the man turned on his heel and left the room._

_The collar relaxed its grip and I gulped down air, glaring at the little girl in front of me._

_"Why?" I asked, "Why? Death would have been better than this. Why did you save me?"_

_She blinked, though no expression passed over that young face, "You saved my life and now I saved yours. We are even."_

_She climbed into her bed (soft and warm and much more inviting then the cold, hard floor) and said, "I sleep with a dagger and I know how to use it. Don't try anything stupid."_

_I roared again, sounding like a rabid beast. I hated her; she had cursed me to live in this existence for the rest of my life. My family, what would they think of me if they saw me now, a tethered dog bowing at the feet of a little girl? They would be so ashamed. Ashamed of what I had become. I was ashamed of what I had become._

_My screams withered into sobs as the moon crept higher into the night sky. I curled up on the little area that was now my bed, crying for someone to take me away. I hated this, I hated her, and I wanted to die. I wanted to die, but the collar prevented me from committing suicide._

_But I was going to get out of here. Somehow. All I needed was a plan and I had lots of time to come up with one._

_And then I would burn this city to the ground._

* * *

_Wednesday, October 12th, 2016_

BEAP! BEAP! BEAP! BE- SMASH!

Bloody alarm clock…

The only thing worse than waking up to those sounds was if it happened on a Monday. Thankfully, it was not a Monday, but that only made it marginally better.

I had a really odd set of dreams last night. First, a man named Solomon Moto had offered to teach me magic and become a Necromancer. Then I had been a slave to an evil Mayan princess. And finally I had decided to go to school, only to step outside and realize I was wearing my sister's party clothing. I was greeted by hundred of clones of Tea Gardner in pink frilly dresses, who wanted to take me to get my hair braided.

The third one had to be the most frightening thing my subconscious had ever come up with.

It was weird, though. They'd all seemed so authentic. Except for that last one, which still gave me the shivers. But magic wasn't real, that was just impossible.

I rolled over and my jaw dropped, for on my desk was a cup. A ceramic cup that I was pretty sure my mother didn't have as part of her kitchen set.

The ceramic cup that Solomon Moto had created with magic.

And on the side, hastily scribbled in permanent black marker by myself late last night, were the words "Of course it's real, dumbass."

I leapt from my bed, changed into some fresh clothing, and grabbed my backpack. I quickly made some toast and raced out the door with it half finished, hanging out of my mouth comically.

I was Bakura the Other, new student at Atlantis School for the Gifted (starting on Monday), and future Necromancer. I was going to kick ass and learn magic.

I was going to be late for my bus if I didn't hurry the hell up.

Shit!

But even though I got detention for missing two days of school and being late, had to deal with Wheeler and Taylor again, and watch some guy try to get the pull on Amane (again), nothing could wipe the hundred watt grin off my face.

* * *

Things were so simple back then.

I wonder if I would have made the same choices if I had known what was really going to happen once I came to Atlantis. I wonder if I would have been more scared of becoming an Other if I had fully understood what was ahead of me.

But there are good things to come in this story. It's not going to be down hill from here on out. Atlantis always seemed more real to me than any Normal school that I've gone to. It's full of kids that have suffered the effects of the Ward and are stumbling onto the path that they're going to take for the rest of their life.

It's a coming of age tale filled with love, rebellion, and friendships that last a lifetime.

I think I used that line in the last chapter…

Whatever.

I'm going to make friends that will be by my side forever. I'm going to fall in love, though it will be with the wrong person at the wrong time (but I don't let that stop me). And I'm going to fight for something (someone) I believe in, not because magic told me to.

I'm going to become Ryou Bakura, the greatest Necromancer to exist since the collapse of Mayan civilization in the ninth century.

So basically…come and get me

* * *

**Hello again!**

**I would like to thank all those who read the first chapter and a special shout out goes to my first reviewer: Defenestration of the Mind. Thank you so much for your feed back.**

**So this is the second chapter. There's a little explanation as to what's going on with Bakura: he can use magic. I know, I know it's a little Harry Potter-ish, but it's a great series and I owe a lot of my inspiration to J. K. Rowling (for she is amazing!). Solomon makes a cameo, whom I'm really glad that I used. Originally, it was going to be Shadi, but Solomon worked out a lot better and stayed in character while doing so.**

**Questions, comments, and concerns can find me if you hit the review button. Thank you for your support.**

**AlcatrazOutpatient.**


	3. There's Always An Other Option

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 3: There's Always An Other Option**

_Thursday, October 13th, 2016_

Thursday.

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday.

Thursday: the fifth day of the week. The day after Wednesday. The day before Friday. Two days before the weekend.

And most importantly, the day that I was supposed to receive a package for Atlantis full of - how had Moto put it? - paperwork, school supplies, and what not.

I wondered what was in it. Textbooks with moving pictures? Scrolls written in lost languages? A top hat with a rabbit in it?

Hey, I had seen a man make water out of thin air. Anything was possible now.

But I couldn't go there right now, for I was trapped in a building where a government approved genocide of free thinking minds was taking place. A place known only as High School. Oh, the horrors.

But seriously, there were only three minutes to the end of last period. Three friggin' minutes. My science teacher, Mr. Harrison, was droning on about something in a voice that made people fall asleep five minutes into the lecture. Think of the most boring and dull thing that you've ever heard in your entire life. Now multiply that by six. That's what I'm listening to now. I half expect that guy to start saying, "Bueller…Bueller…Bueller" any second.

Speaking of seconds, I only had a minute and a half now. Come on, clock! Could you please speed up time for a few minutes? I really wanted to get out of here.

Please?

I guessed that it wasn't listening. That was what I got for talking to an inanimate object.

My bag was packed and halfway onto my back already. I really wanted to get out of here, like, right now. No ifs, ands, or buts, I wanted out!

Maybe I could teleport again. Maybe if I wanted it badly enough I could appear in my room and miss my bus ride home. You know what, screw the bus ride. I was going to run home. With the excitement and adrenaline running through my veins right now I could probably run a marathon.

Come on, just a few more seconds. I edged forward on my chair towards the door. Three…two…one…

BBBRRRIIIIIINNNGGGG!

VICTORY IS MINE!

I thought that I jumped over someone's desk in my hurry to reach the door. Flinging myself down the hallways and bounding down two flights of stairs, I ran as fast as I could to reach those double doors. Almost there! Almost –

Smack!

It felt like I had run into a brick wall. I displayed a very good example of Newton's Third Law (all actions have an equal and opposite reaction) as I flew backwards and toppled to the ground.

Someone cursed. Loudly. "Dude, the fuck's your hurry?"

Now someone else was cursing: me. Screw Newton, Murphy was my best friend now. I would recognize that voice anywhere.

Constantly followed by a pack of drooling idiot girls, Duke Devlin was sort after by almost every person in the school that had two X chromosomes. Hell, he even had a few guys in his following as well. Bloody hell.

I leapt to my feet (which wasn't an easy feat, considering I still had my backpack on) and tried to make my way out the door. I didn't get there it though. Devlin pushed me back.

"You think you can just run into me like that?" Green eyes bored into me, but I had seen Solomon Moto's eyes so this glare lost a lot of its effect. "You think I'm just going to let you get away with that?"

I almost retched when the three girls behind him, two skinny and blonde, one pudgy with black hair, swooned.

"I haven't got time for this," I growled. "Get out of my way, pretty-boy."

There was laughter behind me. I didn't even have to look to realize that the rest of the student body had blocked off all my exits. They were like sharks, I swear. The moment they smelt blood, they came running. I was going to have to fight my way out.

"I hear the freak here is going to some freak school. He's not going to be around for two weeks every month while they take him away to find out what's wrong with his head," Devlin laughed mockingly. Shit, where the hell had they heard about Atlantis? The principle hadn't even called me down to the office to discuss my semi-transfer yet.

Of course. Amane. Fucking jealous bitch.

Laugher erupted from the crowds as they clumped together to form a circle around us. Devlin blew a kiss to some girl and stepped into the arena. This was not how I wanted to end my day.

I should have set my bag down, but if I did someone would have stolen it. It took me weeks to save up money to buy that thing. I couldn't risk it.

Hands up. Keep your hands up, said that mysterious voice again, the one that always sounded in my head when I got into a fist fight, He may be stronger than you, but you are faster. Use that to your advantage.

Thanks mysterious voice. Now could you shut up for a second? I was trying not to get my arse handed to me here.

Sure.

Thank you.

Devlin threw a right hook my way, sloppy and untrained. I dodged - It's better to get out of the way than to block. Only block when you have no other choice - and countered with two shots to pretty-boy's kidneys. He stumbled, and rushed me. I circled around him, using his own momentum against him and kicked him into a clump screaming girls.

They cooed and pawed until they were satisfied that their object of lust was uninjured. Devlin's eyes blazed as he re-entered the fight. We circled each other like hungry wolves.

"So what are they going to teach you at the freak school, girl?" He asked, sneering at me, "You going to drink blood and sacrifice virgins on moonlit nights with friends now, or what?"

"Oh yeah," sarcasm was practically dripping from my mouth. "Too bad we won't be able to include you in the fun, Devlin. How many STIs is it now? Three? Or maybe four?"

That was what did it. Devlin roared like an animal, tackling me to the ground. The voice in my head rang, Get up, landlord! The worse place to be in a fight is on the ground.

I didn't care though. I had already won. Because violence doesn't have to be obvious and out in the open. It can be cold, slow and sneaky.

A pair of teachers dragged him off of me, cursing and spitting like a mad man. I laughed, though it was hard to do through a bloody nose.

"Serenity Wheeler," I said. Devlin went silent as the blood drained from his face.

"Serenity Wheeler," I repeated. "What do you think she will see when she looks at you now, Duke?"

Devlin stuttered something.

"Oh come on," I mocked. "I've seen the way you look at her. What was it that made her The One, Dukie?" I used a nickname that his fangirls had given him, "I think I know. You met her in the hospital, right. When Wheeler went down to go see her after that eye operation she had. It left her blind for weeks, didn't it? It was because, when you first talked to her, she had no idea what you looked like. Am I right?"

The hallways were so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the other side of the school. Devlin's green eyes were wide with fear. I could almost hear the thoughts in his head, asking how I knew.

"She treated you like a person, not some sort of sex object. And she continued to do so even after the bandages came off," I sighed with false sadness. "I wonder what she'll see now that she's seen your ugly side?"

The crowds were disappearing now. The action had stopped and the sharks swam away as the blood dissipated. Only Devlin's fan club remained, and they looked miserable.

"Dukie? What does he mean?"

"Serenity? Serenity Wheeler?"

"But she's so plain!"

"I thought we had something special!"

"Plain little Serenity Wheeler," I smiled a demented smile, looking all the more crazy with blood on my face. "You're in love, Duke Devlin. So stop taking it out on me and ask her out, why don't you?"

And with that I stumbled to the door, backpack slung over my good arm and limped my way to the bus. I don't need strong fists and hard bones to win a fight. I had more powerful weapons up my sleeve. And while the wounds that Devlin gave me would eventually fade into faint scars, my words would stay with him forever.

And they would cause him to bleed when ever he looked at Serenity Wheeler now.

* * *

I got home ten minutes after Amane. She stood in the kitchen and glared. She'd probably heard about the fight by now. She and Devlin were friends. Whatever, I had more important things to worry about.

I checked the kitchen. No package. The living room. Nothing. My dad's office. Zip. The bathroom. Nadda.

My heart clenched. Where was my stuff from Atlantis? The gateway to my new life was crumbling and I could do nothing to stop it. I didn't want to go back to my old life. That was filled with whispers behind my back, clothes in the toilet and bloody noses. I didn't want that anymore.

Wait a minute. Solomon Moto knew a lot of things about me: where I lived, where I went to school, what I preferred to be called. Maybe, just maybe he knew the only place that I have ever truly called home.

I raced up the stairs and into my room. I honestly never thought I'd be so happy to see a brown box with packaging tape wrapped around it before.

But there it was, sitting on the edge of my bed with my Dumbass Cup (as I had started calling it). And as I got closer I could see the bright red lettering on the top.

KaibaCorp. No way…no fucking way. Kaiba-freaking-Corp.

Holy fucking shit!

I didn't have a pair of scissors to rip the tape off, so I used my house key instead. And inside was the farthest thing to textbooks with moving pictures or scrolls written in lost languages or even a top hat with a rabbit in it.

A brand spanking new tablet and matching KaibaCorp ruckpack, a touch screen 3D mobile phone, and…a t-shirt.

Oh my god, this was fucking awesome!

I gingerly lifted the tablet from the box, placing it on the bed with care that I only reserved for lost kittens and babies (not that I'd ever held a baby before…kittens were a different matter. What could I say, they were cute). The mobile was next. I turned it on and watched the boot up sequence. I'd never had anything like this to call my own before. Was this all really mine?

I picked up the bag and ran my fingers over the black and red stitches. The t-shirt made me laugh. On a black background, white words spelled out Atlantis School for the Gifted. The back said 'There is always an Other option.'

"Glad to see you like it."

I spun around, half expecting to see Moto again. Instead I was greeted by blank space.

"Down here," the voice sounded again. I looked back to the phone I was holding and saw him.

KaibaCorp was famous for their state of the art holograms, but I had never seen anything like this before. Instead of the grainy, blue-ish form of a person, a small child stood in perfect clarity on top of the screen, wearing a white long sleeved shirt, shorts and green hair. Thankfully, he looked computer generated enough for me to realize that he wasn't human.

"Hi there!" He waved, "My name's Noah! Who are you?"

And now the program was talking to me, "Bakura…" And now I was talking back.

"Well Bakura, who the hell did you piss off to get a shiner like that?"

I glared. I mean, it wasn't even that bad. No black eye or anything, "Remember who has control over the off button, kid."

"Ooh! A feisty one! I think I like you, Bakura," Noah grinned before pointing to the tablet. "Could you turn that on? It will be much easier to do this from there."

The boy fizzled out from on top of the mobile as I quickly pressed the power button on the tablet. After a few seconds of the KaibaCorp logo, Noah's face appeared on the screen again.

"Now this is much better. Lots of room in here to spread out," he said. "And now to business. As I said before, my name is Noah. I'm going to be your guide throughout your stay at Atlantis. If you need any help, make sure that it is worth my time and I might give you some pointers." He motioned to my right (his left), "Down there you will see a scanner. Put your finger on it."

I hesitated for a moment, but did as he asked. Nothing happened for a second, and then there was a sharp pain. I pulled my finger away, expecting to see blood when I came up. There was nothing.

"A magical scanner," Noah explained. "This laptop is for your school and personal use. All files that have information about Others, Atlantis, or magic will be automatically be encrypted using your magical signature. Anything else will be password and fingerprint protected."

Noah shifted to the side of the screen as an app was launched, "I present to you the KC Universe tablet with all-new 3D projection systems. The battery lasts for about two years on its own. The general public won't be seeing it for another five years, at the least."

"But this is all KaibaCorp stuff," I asked, "What does KaibaCorp have to do with Atlantis?"

Noah smiled, "Everything, Bakura. In fact, KaibaCorp is Atlantis."

And steering me away from the topic with the grace of a seasoned politician, he pulled up some online forms and requested my electronic signature.

* * *

Here's the thing about KaibaCorp.

It was originally called Gozaburo Inc., a company that designed equipment for the military. Weapons, vehicles, technology; if you can think it, they built it. It was one of the top sponsors for warmongers cleverly disguised as politicians and soon became one of the most conspiracy ridden companies in America. Rumours of under-the-table deals with international drug rings cropped up all over the newspapers and the internet.

And then something very unexpected happened: the owner and CEO, Gozaburo, was found dead in his pent house suite on Christmas Eve in the year 2012.

No signs of foul play, no suicide note, no real cause of death; just the dead body of one of the most infamous people on the entire planet.

And his will named a certain Seto Kaiba, a twenty-three year old young man of no relation who was fresh out of collage, as his heir.

Of course, the press went wild over this. Had Kaiba murdered Gozaburo and changed his will to gain control of this multi-billion dollar company and his dark secrets? Or was it just the delusions of a dying man that had lead Gozaburo to ask for someone he had never even met before to take over for him when he died?

On January 16th, 2013, Gozaburo Inc. changed its name to KaibaCorp and cut all connections to the US Military and government. It started selling its high tech products to the public and put Bill Gates out of business. DOMA, which had bought Apple out on December 21st, 2012, became KaibaCorp's largest competitor. But even though they had taken over Gozaburo Inc.'s place as largest military supplier, they were still no where Seto Kaiba's standards.

Within a two year period, Seto Kaiba went from a nobody to being one of the most influential men on the planet. And no one knew his secret.

That Seto Kaiba wasn't Normal.

But then again, neither was Gozaburo.

* * *

"And that's it. Congratulations Bakura, and welcome to Atlantis."

It had taken an hour to sign all the forms and go through what exactly had been sent in the package with Noah, but I had finally did it. I was finally going to Atlantis.

Noah, despite being incredibly full of himself, was a pretty cool program. He had eventually explained that the KaibaCorp headquarters, located in Washington, D.C., was where Atlantis was located. The fourth and thirteenth floors were going to be my home for the next two weeks. Seto Kaiba had allowed the old Atlantis school to move there, as it was becoming very risky to run there campus out of the collapsing hidden basement of Alcatraz, the former US federal prison turned tourist attraction.

The tablet was going to be both my textbook and notebook for the next five years (or until KaibaCorp provided them with a new one, as Atlantis was their unofficial testing grounds). Atlantis had a "no paper policy." All magic related pieces of writing were to be disguised beneath the cloak of cyberspace, where it would be protected from prying Normal eyes. Also, according to Noah, the thing was practically indestructible. To use his words, the only why to destroy it was "to chuck it off the Grand Canyon and then drive over it with an eighteen-wheeler."

As for my bag, it was a "simple Summoning device." There was a spell on it (I don't remember what) that allowed what sounded like a miniature hole in time and space to exist in the back compartment. If you could fit an object through the opening, it would hold it. Anything from clothing to books to a full sized bicycle could be carried in there. To remove an object, all you had to do was call its name.

My phone worked as a normal mobile, but it was also a teleportation device. Until I learned to start teleporting properly, I would be using this. The PORT option on the holographic screen would take me to a set of pre-recorded locations in about two minutes. You could add new locations to it as well, but you needed to know what the area looked like in order for it to work.

And as for the t-shirt, it was one hundred percent cotton, machine washable and tumble drier friendly.

What? Did you expect me to say that it was fireproof or something? Get real, it was just a t-shirt.

"They want you at school by noon on Sunday, just so you can get settled in," Noah said, "I'll set you an alarm to make sure you remember. What song would you like: Cartoon Heroes by Aqua or Caramelldensen?"

He better just be messing with me, "Got any Nickelback?"

"Cartoon Heroes it is."

Curse you, technology!

* * *

_Friday, October 14th, 2016_

I started packing the moment I got home from school.

I didn't own a cupboard or dresser or anything like that. My clothing was folded in a neat pile under my window. A layer of shirts and hoodies followed by a layer of pants, discretely hiding a layer of boxer shorts and socks, was under my desk. Despite my outwards appearance, I was a bit of a neat freak. Weird, huh?

It was at times like these that I realized I owned a lot of black clothing. And long sleeved shirts, for that matter. But then again, I was the kind of person to get sun burns with clothing on so that comes with the territory.

I tossed whatever clothing I could find into the opening of the ruckpack. There was an odd swishing noise and the thought-smell of salt water whenever I put in a shirt or something in. I could practically live out of this thing.

I glanced into the gaping hole: nothing but blackness.

Very cool.

Books were next. I tossed in a few old classics that would keep me going and a new one that I had managed to…obtain through some questionable methods. It was called Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and wass really all about making choices when push comes to shove. It sounded like a good read when I read the reviews on the back cover in the book store.

"Saving the world, one hacked game console at a time."

Hah, like I'd ever do that.

Shoving my new tech into the other pockets, I set it by the door. I was ready to go. The only problem was that I was two days early.

I wanted to go do something. I actually wanted to get out of the house. I wanted to leave my room. My home, my sanctuary, my little piece of the world where I didn't have to worry about anything. And I wanted to leave. Where did this come from?

I grabbed some leftovers from last night out of the fridge before I headed out onto the streets. I still had a few hours before sunset and it wasn't safe to be out after then.

I could go to the graveyard, but not only wass it pretty far away, I wasn't sure that I was ready to face the spirits there after my outburst. I wanted to be able to show them something when I returned. I wanted to be able to perform some kind of Necromancy when I did.

The park sounded nice. Domino city has a really large park with lots of green space and stuff for kids to play on. I was still amazed by the amount of space there were in America. Back in the UK, everything was so crammed together. This was just…big, for lack of a better world.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I liked watching kids. Not in a pedophiliac kind of way, but an "I wish I was like that" kind of way. It was the reason why I liked Rebecca so much. She was tiny and innocent, not a care in the world.

I sat on a bench near the playground. There was a family already here: a mother, a father, and three children. The oldest looked to be just under ten years of age, but I wasn't sure. The other two had to be about seven and five. All boys.

And they were laughing, playing together in the sand, pushing each other on the swing, watching each other go down the slides.

I imagined I was one of them.

My brothers would teach me to climb on the monkey bars, ready to catch me if I fell. Then we'd play tag around the park, screaming out "You're it! You're it!" And finally when it was time to go our father would call us over and we would race to him.

He'd wrap his powerful arms around the four of us and hold us tight. Our mother would offer us cold drinks and ruffle our hair when we said thank you.

My parents would never do that to me.

I learned at a young age that they would never come when I scraped my elbows or banged my knees. I learned where the food was kept in case they forgot to feed me. The magical ward that I was born with had pushed them away so that I wouldn't have the chance to explain where I was going once a month. So that the world of the Others would remain a secret.

I wished the abandonment didn't affect me as much as it did. I wished I could say that I was over it. That it didn't matter anymore. But I couldn't. I still loved my family, even with all the stuff they put me through.

I still loved them.

Fuck, I was a sap. And I was in such a great mood before.

A flash in the corner of my eye caught my attention. On the other side of the park, Duke Devlin paced back and forth across the open lawn. Oh great, just the person I needed to see. My life was now complete.

Devlin looked different when he wasn't surrounded by a gaggling group of well-endowed girls. Alone, he appeared more average than he did at school. And right now, he looked pretty horrible, considering his usually high standards of good looks.

His hair was down and his eyes were dull. The red shirt he was wearing looked wrinkled and I didn't think he was wearing the same colour of socks.

I guess I was a glutton for punishment because I just got up and started walking towards him.

Wait, I lied. Devlin was only wearing a single sock. He must have really be out of it.

"You keep that up and you'll wear a patch in the grass," I said as I came into earshot. Devlin looked up and growled.

"You."

"Yeah, me. Got a problem?"

He bared his teeth like a dog, "You've ruined me, freak!"

"I've ruined you?" I exclaimed innocently, with all the falseness of someone who flunked Drama, "That's weird. I clearly remember that it was you who started that fight."

Devlin's green eyes flashed, "I want you to take it back. I want you to take back what you said about me."

Anger stirred within me, "You want me to apologise for what I said?"

"You took everything from me!" Devlin roared, and the family from before quickly shooed their kids into the car, "Serenity…Serenity won't even look at me, you freak! You took everything away."

I laughed, "If you're looking for an apology, Devlin, you're looking in the wrong place. I don't feel sorry for sapping you for your power. I loved every moment of it."

"You take it all back, freak!" He yelled.

"No!" I shouted back, "No, I won't! You act as if this is the end of the world, pretty-boy. Do you honestly believe that popularity in high school will matter in a couple of years? Do you?

"And while we're on the topic of apologises, what about mine? Where's my apology?" A dam had burst inside me and everything started pouring out, "Where's my apology for three years of hell? Where's my apology for all the rumours and lies my sister has spread about me being a Satanist? Where's my apology for all the times I find notes on my locker calling me a fag or telling me to go kill myself? Where's my apology for the time you and your friends fucking chloroformed me and tied my to that poll naked?"

Devlin was silent, looking at me as if it was for the first time. He was such an asshole. He had lots of things going for him: loving parents, a steady well paying job, and a girl he was head over heals for. Why couldn't he see that? Why couldn't he see who lucky he was?

"You are in love with Serenity Wheeler," my voice was suddenly very small and very shaky. "You may not be ready to admit that, but you are. You are lucky enough to know what love feels like, so don't you dare mess up this chance you have with her."

And with that I turned and began to walk away, strangely enough feeling lighter than I had originally when I came to the park. It felt fulfilling to be able to just let loose like that. And I was -

"I'm sorry."

It was so quiet I almost missed it. Devlin mumbled something after that, but I didn't catch it.

"What?"

"Don't make me say it again."

There was an awkward hush between the two of us, filled only with the sound of birds and cars wheels on pavement.

"Okay," I swallowed something lumpy down my throat. "Okay."

It wasn't going to make the memories go away or turn us into best buddies.

But Duke Devlin had said sorry and that meant something. And I think I can live with that.

* * *

**Thank you to all those who reviewed for chapter 2. Defenestration of the Mind, melvin the magiciann, and ColonKellyHigginsGoil304: you guys keep me inspired. ****Here, I made some muffins for you. Enjoy!**

**Bakura needed some ranting time before he goes off to Atlantis. Fun times are ahead, filled with new characters and magic. I love your reviews, please keep telling me what you think. Constructive criticism really helps.**

**Thank you,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	4. Uuughhgahhuuuaaa

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Uuughhgahhuuuaaa**

Here's a little history about Atlantis.

The school was named after Plato's legendary island, in accordance with the tradition set by the other magical schools in the East. It joined Europe's Camelot and Cockaigne, and Asia's Nibiru, Shambhala, Shangri-La, and Thuvaraiyam Pathi in the year 1683. Most of its students were runaways that feared prosecution from their parents and towns.

Located in the small town of Salem, it provided schooling for the young Magicians (as they were called then) of the Thirteen Colonies for almost twenty one years until the very end of the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Only one Magician was ever caught. Headmaster Giles Corey stayed behind to buy some time for the Magicians to escape when Atlantis was stormed by angry townsfolk. Corey chose to be crushed to death under heavy stones rather than release the location of his staff and students.

Atlantis was moved to the quickly growing town of Philadelphia. It stayed there until 1790 when the building around the corner became the President's House as the city became America's capital.

The school traveled around a lot before finally settling down again in New Jersey on March 1st, 1804, only a few days after the state abolished slavery. This was the first time that students of colour were allowed to attend Atlantis, though their classrooms and dorms were segregated. As the Civil War kicked into high gear, the students began casting illusions over fleeing slaves as they ran through the New Jersey section of the Underground Railroad in order to help them escape.

Shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (the first and only magic user to become President), Atlantis was moved to the basements of the Ford Theatre and neighbouring Peterson House out of respect for the former student.

After the government bought Peterson House in 1896 for $30,000, Atlantis moved to the city of San Francisco where it stayed there for one hundred and sixteen years. Staying at both Mission Dolores and then moving to the hidden lower levels of Alcatraz in 1973, Atlantis helped create the name 'Others' and become the second largest magical school in the West. It lost the number one spot to South America's El Dorado and beat out Canada's Kingdom of Saguenay, which is now in third place.

But Atlantis was suffering from the poor conditions that come with being located underground in the middle of San Francisco's bay. Leaking walls, freezing cold nights, and terrible sanitation become a huge problem for the overcrowded school and magic could only do so much. However, when the year 2013 rolled around, a small miracle in the form of Seto Kaiba occurred. The former Atlantis graduate offered to let the school move into the state-of-the-art facilities at KaibaCorp headquarters. Floors four and thirteen were all theirs.

The move took a surprisingly short amount of time and in late February of 2013, Atlantis came to the nation's capital city.

* * *

_Sunday, October 17th, 2016_

I swore that there must be a giant arrow with neon flashing lights spelling out the words "EPIC FAIL" over my head right now.

I had slept in until almost ten thirty, leaving me about an hour and a half to have a shower, get dressed, eat something, and activate the PORT. Noah was no help at all, having turned my mobile on all by himself and then proceeded to make jokes about me as I ran around my room like a headless chicken.

After having to wait outside the bathroom for Amane to finish her ridiculously long shower and standing in the freezing cold water for a few minutes to get clean (she had used up all the hot water on me), I changed into a pair of jeans, a dark blue and a black hoodie. My breakfast consisted of eggs and a bagel. I wolfed it down quickly and ran upstairs again to grab my stuff.

"Don't activate the PORT until you're out of the house," warned Noah. "It makes electronic devices in a twenty foot radius flicker for a few minutes after you use it."

Lovely. The time was coming up on 11:50 and I needed to move. Shoving the mobile into my pocket ("Hey! Watch it!" cried Noah), I slung my ruckpack onto my shoulder and raced for the exit.

As I passed the living room, I leaned against the archway and watched my family. My father was reading the newspaper, while mom was watching some television. Amane was crouched over whatever homework she hadn't finished yet on the dining room table.

"Good-bye," I whispered. They didn't react. I didn't expect them to, though. It shouldn't have hurt, but it did.

I turned and left. I thought I saw Amane lift her head to look at me, but it was probably my imagination. I closed the front door and headed out to the sidewalk. I took one last glance at the house. There was no one to wave good-bye to in the windows, but I did it anyways.

My mobile vibrated in my pocket. Was someone calling me? I pulled it out and pressed it to my ear, "Hello?"

"It's me, you numbskull!" Noah's angry voice filtered through the speaker, "What are you waiting for? You've got five minutes to go and you really don't want to be late. Go find some alleyway and activate the PORT!"

So ducking into the last place you wanted to be in the middle of the night (a space between two strip malls at the end of my street where I once got mugged), I quickly scrolled through the aps until I came to the last one labelled PORT.

The scanner quickly verified that I was Ryou Bakura the Other before launching the application. Up came a small menu:

(1) Search Locations  
(2) New Location  
(3) Speed PORTS  
(4) Settings

Selecting the first one, the phone activated its holographic projectors. Rotating slowly above the screen in high quality was a high-rise building surrounded by several smaller ones. On top of it in red letters were the words: KAIBACORP HEADQUARTERS/ATLANTIS SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED. WASHINGTON, D.C.

"Tell it to activate!" Shouted an irritated Noah, no longer caring if someone heard him.

"Um…Activate PORT?"

For a second, nothing happened. I was suddenly struck by the feeling that this might all be a joke. What if –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

I landed face first into cold unforgiving concrete and was greeted by the smell of car fumes and the sound of horns. I had barely started to lift myself off the ground when a hundred pound weight was dropped on my back.

Giant arrow. Neon lights. EPIC. FAIL.

"Ouch…" Surprisingly enough, that wasn't me. I had let out a weak little whimper when I connected with the ground for a second time. That had come from the thing that had landed on top of me.

But I really didn't care now. The pain…the pain!

"Oh, I'm sorry," it was a girl's voice and I suddenly became aware of the brown hair that had invaded my vision. "So sorry."

Whoever she was, she was kind enough to roll off of me and helped me to stand. I looked up and saw her. The girl was a little shorter than I and had mid-length brown hair that framed a pretty, tanned face. Electric green eyes (even greener than Duke Devlin's) stared up at me.

And on her back was a black backpack with red letters that spelled out KAIBACORP. Holy shit…was she…was she actually…

"I'm so sorry for landing on you, mister," the girl's eyes looked somewhere in the vicinity of my feet. "I can explain. I didn't mean to –" I cut her off.

"Are you going to Atlantis?" She had the same backpack as me and had appeared out of nowhere, so maybe…

The girl looked up in shock, electric green trailing to the bag on my back and then back to me. A small smile made its way onto her face.

"Are you…" she asked hesitantly. "Are you…too?"

I nodded slowly.

She covered her mouth with her hands as giggles passed through her lips. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I just thought for a moment…that this might be…might be fake or something."

"Well," I said, still kind of in awe that there was another kid my age that was an Other. "We're either both in the right place, or we're both delusional."

Up came another wave of laughter, though this one was shared with me, before Noah interrupted again, "As much fun as it is to watch you two lovebirds together, could you both please continue this talk when you get to Atlantis?"

"Lovebirds!" I cried, a blush rising on my cheeks, "Why I otta –"

"Come on," the girl said. "We better get going."

I roughly pressed the off button on my cell phone, gleefully listening to Noah's promise of "I'll be back!" and followed her out of the alley. My jaw dropped. Now I had seen some tall buildings before in Domino. Twenty stories, maybe twenty five stories on some occasion. But this…this was…This was freaking huge.

The hologram on the PORT really didn't put it in perspective for you. The KaibaCorp building was easily a hundred floors, maybe a hundred fifty. It was a massive tower of metal and glass that gave a good example as to why they called them skyscrapers.

"That's tall," I muttered as I followed the girl to the front doors. They moved aside as we stepped in front of them and instantly came face to face with – Fuck, not him again.

It was Noah. Except it was a different Noah. The program was life sized and still dressed in his normal shirt and shorts, but the quality of the hologram looked more like something out of Star Wars than the high quality picture on my tablet.

"Welcome to KaibaCorp," he said, his voice was monotone and his smile manufactured. "All guests must register and pick up their passes at the main desk. Failure to comply will result in ejection from the building and possible criminal charges. Thank you and have a –" the hologram froze for a second and flickered – "have a great day."

And then it winked, becoming the original Noah and pointed to the lifts. We got the message.

The girl and I moved to the back of the lobby. I presumed that Noah pushed the button for us because the arrow lit up as soon as we got there.

"Mana," the girl said nervously.

"Huh?"

"Mana. It's my name."

"Oh," it took me a few seconds to realize that she wanted to know my name as well, "I'm Bakura."

"Bakura," she mumbled, "That's a nice name."

I grinned and the metallic doors opened wide. We stepped inside. As the doors clanged shut, Noah's face appeared on the screen to the right.

"I hate having to take over for that inferior program," he complained. "It's so…ugh!" He stuck his tongue out in disgust, "So, two for Atlantis. In the mean time, prepare to be assimilated! Resistance is futile! Do not attempt to adjust your television for I am controlling the horizontal and the vertical! Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain for he is –"

"Can we go now?" I barked.

Noah pouted, "Fine. Wreck my big speech. Mana, don't ever end up dating this guy. You deserve so much better."

Mana blushed and looked away.

I sighed playfully, "I'm surrounded by wankers."

* * *

It's really difficult to imagine Mana as being the shy girl now that I've known her for so long. Remember the girl that Moto talked about. The one that fainted. Apparently, that was her.

Mana Oscuro is an orphan from Florida who's been ping-ponged around the state from one foster home to another. Her uncle and only living relative was killed in a gang fight when she was three, so the adoption agency scooped her up. Sadly, the Ward kept any possible parents away from her and made it very difficult for her to make friends.

She's never had much in the ways of a permanent parental figure her entire life. She didn't stay in a foster home for long because the other kids kept complaining that she was drugging them and making them see things. The cops were called in, but they never found any traces of hallucinogens or anything. But the complaints kept coming in no matter where she went, so the police regularly kept tabs on her whereabouts.

In reality, it was her magic acting up. Mana's got all the right tools to be incredibly successful at Illusion Magic: a wild imagination and positive disposition. She's a down right natural at it and will one day surpass our Illusions teacher at school.

She's going to grow up beautifully, into a confident young woman.

And no, I don't end up dating her. Don't ever listen to Noah. He's no Seer.

Besides, she's my friend. That would just make things incredibly awkward. Not to mention my other friend has a thing for her and would skin me alive if I even thought about asking her out. That kind of puts a deterrent on it.

* * *

The lift pinged on the fourth floor and opened to what looked like a collage dorm. Half opened doors lined both sides and calls of "How was your summer?" and "How've you been?" sounded throughout the hallway. The walls were painted a bright red and the doors had little plaques on them with the names of the occupants.

"You first years will be sharing a room with an older student," Noah explained. "There's no real rules about guys having girls in their room and vice versa. Go find your names, I got to go."

Mana and I stepped out of the lift and started down the hall. We took a left at a corner and then a right before Mana spotted her name.

"This looks like me," she said, stating the obvious.

"I guess," I didn't realize that I might have to continue on without her. "I'll see you around then?"

Her eyes widened, and for a moment I thought she was going to say no and slam the door in my face. Say that she never wanted to see me again. Instead, she nodded, "Yeah. I'd like that."

She opened her door and stepped inside. I saw yellow walls and a poster of some kind.

"Bye," she said nervously.

"Bye," I repeated. The door closed softly.

I stared at it in amazement for a while, looking at the names on the door. Valentine and Oscuro. I wonder which one was Mana's.

And then a new thought hit me: had I just made a friend? Did I want friends? Did Mana think I was her friend? I really hope so. To all of those questions. I really though I'd like that.

Luckily, my room was only two doors down on the opposite side. The names Ishtar and Bakura were printed on the plaque. I took a breath and entered.

It was surprisingly simple. The walls were painted a few shades lighter than grass green and well lit. The small kitchenette to my left had a microwave, mini-fridge, sink, and a few cabinets. I opened a couple and found pancake mix and some plates. Others revealed glass wear, pots and pans, and enough Kraft Dinner to feed a small army.

There were two desks: one facing the giant window and one against the right wall. The second one already had a tablet on it and a backpack hung over the back of the seat. I cursed under my breath. This meant that I would have to take the one by the window and fall victim to the sun's evil UV Rays.

Beside my desk was a bunk bed. There were shelves for books on the walls and the pillow close to the door. The door to the bathroom remained open from what was most likely this Ishtar person's last trip to the loo. All and all it was very roomy. Oh, and look! A cupboard! No more clothes on the floor!

The door slammed open and my roommate walked in, yelling at someone down the hall, "I'll talk to you later, Mai!"

He looked to be a little older than me, with blonde hair that brushed his shoulders and dark skin. He wore a sleeveless black shirt and blue vest overtop that showed of toned arms. Ripped black jeans and black boots finished the look, giving him the appearance of a biker.

His eyes – an odd shade of lilac – looked me up and down before he opened his mouth, "Shit, you're pale."

I rolled my eyes, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"I didn't mean to offend you or anything, but damn," the blonde exclaimed. "Do you get any sun at all?"

While Domino's weather was mostly cloudy, I did occasionally see that big yellow ball in the sky. While I was here, though, I was going to have to take a more active interest in keeping out of the sunlight, "I don't tan. I burn."

He smirked at that, "I'm Marik Ishtar, by the way. Second year Enchantment."

The latter half of that statement made no sense to me at all, "I'm Bakura."

Ishtar raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on the lack of first name, "Bakura…Bakura…Where have I heard that name before?" He pulled the chair at his desk to the centre of the room and sat backwards on it. Snapping his fingers, he exclaimed "You're that Necromancer, aren't you?"

I blinked, "How did you…"

He laughed, "News travels fast here. You'll get used to it. Besides," Ishtar sighed. "Moto wasn't exactly being subtle when he told the rest of the staff he'd found you. Kind of shouted it out really. We haven't had a Necromancer since the Mission Dolores campus."

Once again, my roommate seemed to be talking nonsense.

He continued without even noticing the no-comprehendo look on my face, "That's probably why they paired you up with me. I know what it's like to be under scrutiny here. My sister is the Medical Magic teacher and my brother is a badass CIA agent. We're the first in almost three centuries to have more than one Other in the family. And considering my brother's adopted, that's saying something."

In one ear and out the other. I believe the correct thing to say here is "Huh?" I didn't though. I just stood there dumbly and stared. What exactly had I gotten myself into?

"You didn't get a word of what I just said, did you?" He joked.

I was about to say something along the lines of "No shit Sherlock" when I noticed something. Ishtar's lips hadn't moved at all when he said that last line.

What in the world?

"Enchantment," Ishtar explained, his voice ringing in my head but no sound came from his mouth, "has to do with the mind. Dream dissection, memory alteration, etc. I could probably make you think you're an elephant for a few days if I wanted to."

The ozone thought-smell came back as intense as it was when Moto told my parents to leave the room and let us talk. Was this what he did?

But first I had a problem to take care of. "Get out of my head," I growled.

The ozone faded and Ishtar's mouth opened, "I assume you've come in contact with Enchantment before."

"Moto, he…did something to my parents. He told them to leave and…they left," I nodded, still unable to get over the fact that Ishtar had been in my head.

"Hypnosis," he explained. "Control, plain and simple. Nothing even that fancy. I'm surprised he used Enchantment, though. Moto's more of a Summoner kind of guy."

Ishtar stood and brushed off his jeans, "Well, it is my official duty as your sponsor to show you around Atlantis and make sure you don't get hopelessly lost. Unofficially, my duty includes taking the top buck, dibs on first shower, introducing you to my good friend Mai, and waking you up at stupidly early times in the morning with a bucket of cold water," he paused for a second. "Or maybe that last one was just my old sponsor?"

He blinked and looked at me, "You don't say much, do you?"

I shifted uncomfortably. This was just all too new. Ishtar's face softened, "Would it help I said that everyone here went through the same thing?"

I glanced up at him, "Somehow I doubt that."

He closed the distance between us with three big steps. Moving to put his hand on my shoulder, he flinched and put it down, "I'm serious. The Ward, the part of magic that keeps Normals away from us, affects each and every Other in some way. I'm not asking what it did to you," Ishtar said quickly when he saw me open my mouth. "That's none of my business. But it happened to everyone, from our teachers to our classmates, so don't ever think you're alone in this."

I was suddenly overcome by the intense desire to hug him. I had no idea where it came from but if he really meant what he just said – that I wasn't alone anymore, that there were other people like me, that I wasn't broken or freakish or crazy – then I really wanted to hug this guy.

I leaned forward and raised my arms with what must have been an utterly hopeless look in my eyes and – stumbled into empty space.

Ishtar had backed up to where his chair was, standing ramrod straight. I fleetingly thought of the days when I was little and crying because of a scraped knee and no one came to give me a Band-Aid. I thought of the loneliness I had felt then and wondered if the caring Ishtar had expressed before was just a show and he – or maybe…just maybe…

"Come on," Ishtar said, having returned to his normal self. "I wanna get the cafeteria before they run out of vegetarian pizza. You will not believe how popular that is here. Then I'm going to take you on the nickel-tour of Atlantis."

I dropped my backpack on the bottom bunk, "I don't have much in the way of money. How am supposed to pay for food?"

Ishtar laughed, "Everything's free here. Despite being a ruthless businessman, Seto Kaiba absolutely refuses to make any money off this place. And stop referring to me as Ishtar. I'm Marik."

I almost tripped over my own feet as we entered the hallway, "How…? How did you…?" Then I saw the look on his face, "Stay out of my mind, brat!"

Ishtar…sorry, Marik gaped, "Brat! Brat! I'm a year older than you!"

"You act like a brat," I smirked, "Therefore I call you a brat."

He sputtered for a moment, "Yeah, well…Fluffy!"

"Fluffy!" I cried indignantly, "Fluffy?"

"Well, you're asking for it," Marik said with a hint of pride in his voice, "Look at you. You look like a human furby, for fuck's sake!"

"Fluffy? I'll kill you!"

And then I proceeded to chase Marik down the hall, screaming bloody murder as he laughed like a maniac.

* * *

I didn't know it then, but I had just met my best friend.

Marik Ishtar. Marik-freaking-Ishtar. He is one damn crazy bloke.

Marik's from San Francisco, growing up smack dab in the middle of the Other's unofficial capital of America. He comes from a pretty big family: a father and two older siblings, making him the runt of the pack. The Ishtar trio has always been super-close to each other, their magical Wards having never taken effect on each other.

Marik is probably the coolest person I've ever met. He's stinking rich, listens to classic rock, drives a motorcycle, and is really funny. But he's not a jerk about it: he doesn't feel the need to rub it in other people's faces. Honestly, if I had never been to his house before I wouldn't have known how much money his family had.

All and all he has a very upbeat attitude on life. Watch how fast that fades, though.

I won't say much, but Magic hit him harder than most people. I don't know if he'll ever fully recover from what happened to him, but it messed him up real bad.

Let's just say were as my scars are mental, thanks to his asshole of a father, Marik's are very physical.

But he tries not to let that affect him. He laughs, he jokes, and he's always there when you need him the most.

I couldn't imagine Atlantis without Marik Ishtar.

I couldn't imagine my life without Marik Ishtar.

* * *

"…and then he said, 'You're just jealous!' To Wheeler! About some book worm girl!"

"Oh my god! Does he have no shame?"

Marik was practically crying when he said that, having laughed so hard at the idiocy that was Tristan Taylor trying to ask Miho Nosaka out. I had long since given up eating, as the stories Marik were telling me in return were just as amusing. I didn't want to have my Pepsi to come out of my nose.

We had spent the next half hour talking about Marik's Enchantment Master, Arkana. Apparently the guy was what was called an Open Other, or rather an Other that went about as a professional magician for parties and gala events. Arkana was an escape artist that had his own show and everything. He was teaching Marik wide spread mind control as well as distance.

Afterwards, Marik had picked my brains about Necromancy. I couldn't tell him much, only what I had seen before with the spirits. He found it fascinating that I had a whole other world just to myself. I found it fascinating that he wasn't creeped out by the fact that I was able to communicate with the dead.

I had no idea how we got onto the topic of stupid people that we knew. I did know that the conversation resulted in several bouts of laughter, two choking incidents, and Marik spitting his drink out once. But I had never had so much fun in my life! If this is what it was going to be like for the rest of the year, this is going to be fucking awesome!

Marik glanced over my shoulder. He waved to someone, "Over here!" I turned and saw –

Boobs.

The woman who was walking up the cafeteria, making several guys twist their necks to catch a glimpse of her, put Tea Gardner to shame when it came to pure levels of hotness. And Marik…he knew her…apparently…whoa…

She sat down in the chair beside me and crossed her legs. Long curls of blonde hair made waves down her back and her royal purple eyes were outlined with a hint of make-up.

"So who's this?" She asked Marik, sultry voice making me shiver.

He grinned, "Mai, meet my new roommate: Bakura. Bakura, this is Mai Valentine."

Somewhere, deep in the farthest reaches of my mind, I recognised the name. But I was a little too focused on not staring directly at her cleavage to notice. Not that I was a pervert or anything. It was just...boobs.

"So, Bakura," Mai leaned forward and…now I could see down her top. Holy crap, were those real? "You ever been with a real woman before?"

Now at this point in time I would have loved to have said something cool. Something like, "You think you can handle this?" or "Bring it on, baby." Heck, even a "Hello, nice to meet you" would have worked.

Instead, all that came out was "Uuughhgahhuuuaaa."

I thought that Marik was dying over there. His body was convulsing in some sort of seizure-laugher combination and I didn't think he was breathing normally. Soon Mai's giggles joined his and they were both laughing at my expense.

This was the closest I had ever come to dying of mortification.

"Oh…fuck!" Marik finally managed to get out, "Your face!"

I hid behind my hands, "That's not funny!"

"I'm sorry," Mai chuckled, her voice loosing its passionate tones. "You first years are just so fun to mess with."

"You're right, that wasn't funny," Marik agreed. "It was friggin' hilarious." He went back to laughing, the prick.

"In all seriousness," Mai extended a hand for me to shake, turning from a supermodel into a responsible young woman in a heartbeat. "I'm Mai. Fourth Year Combat."

I took it, and she pointed behind me, "And that's my roommate, Mana."

Shit. Now I remembered where I had heard the name Valentine before. The plaque on Mana's room had read Valentine and Oscuro. And now the first person I met in this school thought I was a total pervert.

Mana smiled, "We've met."

I blushed. Violently.

Marik finally came up for air, "You have? When?"

"I kind of landed on him when I activated the PORT," the girl explained. Marik smiled.

"Bakura's got all the luck with girls. I'm Marik Ishtar."

"Mana Oscuro."

"Nice to meet you, Mana."

It was a kind teasing, I realized later as the four of us walked through the halls of the fourth and thirteenth floors. It wasn't the kind that I became was accustomed to at Domino High. There was no irrational hatred, no sneering glances, and no whispered threats. It was just the three of us, enjoying each others company. It was friendly and I kind of liked it.

And I let go of my room back home. I let go of my sanctuary that sheltered me from the outside world. I let go of the books I drowned myself in to escape cold hard reality. I let go of every stupid little thing that had happened to me and decided that for the next two weeks I was just going to live.

And, for once, I was happy.

* * *

I really hope Mai never reads this. She'd totally kick my ass if she found of that 'Boobs' was my first thought upon meeting her.

Mai is an amazing person to know. She's gorgeous inside and out, confident, and protective. And though I will probably never say it out loud, she's like the mother I always wanted.

Mai isn't American. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, which is in Canada for those of you who don't know. She moved the year before I became a student at Atlantis and transferred from Kingdom of Saguenay. She hung out with Marik a lot that year because his sponsor, Alistor, didn't really give a shit about him and Mai actually thought he was gay.

Marik apparently stuttered for a bit when he found out and shouted loudly that he was one hundred percent straight. And that was the end of that conversation.

He just knows how to stare very discretely, unlike my teenaged self.

But Mana, Marik, Mai, and myself, we're going to take this world by storm someday. We're going to fight along side each other as comrades and as family. Someday, I will be ready to die for those three.

But for now, we're just friends. Just a bunch of misfits that under Normal circumstances, would have never met. And yet, there we were.

Life's really amazing like that sometimes.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I don't really think I could have written this story if it weren't for Littlekuribo getting me into the fandom. So this chapter is dedicated to him.**

**Thanks goes out to all my reviewers: Eleanora-Griffindor, Darktiger09, Blue September, Akikee, melvin the magiciann, First Lady Lestat, and ColonKellyHigginsGoil304.**

**I really hope you liked this chapter. It's a 'feel good' chapter in comparison to the other 3. Get ready for massive amounts of magical theory, because that is what's coming your way.**

**Magic muffins for all,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	5. Little KuraBakura

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Little Kura-Bakura**

_It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Despite having tried to escape from captivity several times over the past three years and being down right rude to my mistress, being a slave in the palace wasn't that awful._

_For one, the food (though not very good) was constant and I never went hungry. They were under the impression that a happy slave worked harder here, and I guessed that was true for the general population. I, on the other hand, did only enough work to avoid the whip._

_Surprisingly enough, she didn't use the choke collar at all. I found it quite amusing. She was still under the impression that she owed me from when I saved her all those years ago. If she killed me, that would somehow be counterproductive to whatever life debt thing that she believed she had yet to fully pay me. I didn't quite understand it, but it kept me alive, so I wasn't complaining._

_I suggested once that she free me instead. She glared and refused to talk to me for days. I found it funny._

_Her god-powers had developed recently, so I was forced to go back and forth between the library fetching scrolls. Surprisingly enough, she wanted to be a Warrior Shaman. I though she was being stupid. No woman had ever become one before. She was going to get any Warrior who served with her killed on some dark night._

_I saw her looking at me sometimes. It was weird and makes me feel uncomfortable. I didn't understand why and I really wished that she would stop._

_I was going to try and make a run for it again tonight. I –_

* * *

_Monday, October 18th, 2016_

"GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!"

Light hit my face and burned. Swearing up a storm, I ducked under the sheets of my bed and wondered who the hell had entered my room at such a stupidly early time in the morning. This someone obviously had a death wish.

"Bakura! Rise and shine, sleepy head!" That voice was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it. I was a little busy trying to fall back asleep.

Then the sheets disappeared. And now I was cold. Death would not be swift for this one.

I cracked open my eyelid, waiting patiently for my vision to focus on my victim, and came face to face with…lilac? Ah. Marik Ishtar, my roommate, who clearly belonged to the annoying subspecies of human known as the "morning person."

I was going to kill him. And then resurrect him. And then kill him again, just for good measure. If only I could summon the energy to do so. I hate mornings.

"Shower's all yours," Marik was rooting around the closet drawers for a pair of socks (he was already dressed). "Breakfast starts in half and hour. And then we have Combat, so wear something comfortable."

I rolled out of bed, a tad ungracefully, and stumbled my way to the washroom. I dunked my head in the running water and then brushed my teeth. It was weird, I was always used to Amane being on the other side of the door, yelling at me to hurry up or she was going to do something rash. Instead I was treated relative silence. It was kind of…what was the word I was looking for? Interesting? Odd? Different? Yah. Different. That was it.

Managing to make my way out of the loo (with a towel on, thankfully), I grabbed a pair of trousers, a shirt, and the hoodie from yesterday. Surprisingly enough, I had managed to find something that matched, even in my heavily incapacitated state. Marik was waiting outside.

Breakfast was short and swift. Mai turned out to be the bear to my morning zombie and couldn't be talked to until she had something called a double-double. This turned out to be a very large cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars. It must have been some sort of Canadian slang, because I sure as hell hadn't heard of it before and neither had Mana.

Marik just told us to shut up and agree, for Mai was tired and a sleepy-irritated Mai usually resulted in bad things happening to innocent bystanders. He talked as if from experience. I took Marik's advice.

Classrooms were on the thirteenth floor, set up into six huge rooms. The Combat room was the largest of them all, taking up nearly half of the left side of the hallway. I had only really taken a peak at it yesterday, but now I could really see inside.

At the far end was what looked like a firing range. Ten stalls were set up in front of ten dummies mounted on strings. To the left were a group of three mats that looked like they were for some sort of martial arts sparing. Along the walls were knives, swords, and other kinds of medieval-like weaponry.

"Well, this is…cozy," I whispered to Mana. She nodded, very slowly.

"This is Combat, boy," a voice came from behind. "It's not meant to be sunshine and rainbows."

I spun around and came face to face with a person I had only seen on television.

Seto Kaiba was a lot taller in person. Standing at just over six feet, his brown hair and piercing blue eyes made him incredibly intimidating. I got the idea that this was the last person on earth that I wanted to piss off. I liked my head where it was, thank you very much.

He swept into the room, "I am Seto Kaiba, for all you ignorant people in the room. I will be your Combat instructor during your stay at Atlantis. I will not tolerate any fooling around in this classroom, because to put it frankly, cleaning up your dead bodies will result in a lot of unwanted paperwork for me."

Someone beside me laughed. Kaiba glared. Apparently, that wasn't a joke.

"Valentine!" He shouted, and Mai stepped forward, "Take the older students and go through some drills. I'm sure most of you were slacking off on the holidays. It's time to fix that."

Marik waved good bye, wishing Mana and I luck, before following the larger group to the mats. Kaiba turned and faced those who remained. It was the first time all of the first years had been together. There were about ten of us, including Mana and myself. We didn't look that amazing, just a bunch of mismatched teenagers from around the country.

Kaiba scanned his audience and pointed to the boy beside me, "You. What's your name?"

The kid sounded like he hadn't blown his nose in years, "Weevil. Weevil Underwood."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, "Come here." Underwood hesitated. "Did I stutter or something. Get over here, now."

Underwood stepped forward. The teacher smirked, "Now. Try to hit me."

What?

I could understand why the kid was so uncertain. For one, Underwood was a classic nerdy kid with bowl-cut hair and thick glasses. He was also ridiculously small in comparison to Kaiba's giant stature. I felt for him. Kind of.

And then Kaiba did something. Something very odd. He turned around, closed his eyes, and sat on the floor.

…the hell?

Underwood's face broke out into a grin. He obviously thought he was going to clobber the CEO. He hopped on his toes like a wanna-be wrestler and pulled his hand back passed his head for the punch.

It was over before it even started.

The moment the kid's fist began to extend, Seto Kaiba reached behind him and caught it. Shifting forwards into a crouch, the man flung Underwood over his head and across the room. Underwood hit the wall with a thud. Kaiba didn't even open his eyes.

"Wicked," it took me a few seconds to realize I had said that. But it was true. That was totally wicked!

"Under Normal circumstances," Kaiba stood and brushed off his clothing, "the muscular system of a human body is actually limited by the brain. We are usually running on about ten percent power. Using magic, you will learn to bypass that limitation.

"Combat magic is most likely the most destructive and dangerous thing you will be learning how to do here at Atlantis. That is why I expect you to follow my exact instructions to the letter. When things go wrong in this class, the results will be devastating. To avoid this, you need to trust your magic to lead you in the correct direction."

He glanced at Underwood, still sprawled upside-down against the far wall, "Get up, loser. I didn't even throw you through it."

Piercing blue eyes turned to us, "What are you all waiting for? Pair up; your first lesson starts now!"

* * *

"Geez, with the way your acting you'd think he was trying to give you a work out, hun."

Mai was picking on me. Again.

"You…are crazy," I wheezed as we walked out of Combat and into another room. "You want…to do this…for a living?"

She smiled, looking a bit distant, "Of course. Seto Kaiba is one of the best Combat specialists on the continent, if not the world. I can learn so much more from him than with my master. That's why I decided to come here."

I still thought she was out of her mind.

Seto Kaiba was a slave driver. There was a reason I'd never been good at gym and that I used words to fight more than I did fists. For almost two and a half hours, we learned how to punch and kick properly ("Keep your thumb on the outside of your fist! Do you want it to get broken, Raptor? And pick up your knee, Oscuro!"), as well as how to stand in the middle of a fight ("Keep your feet moving, Bakura. I don't need to be a Seer to predict your movements."). Then we were paired up with one of the senior students to practice what we had learned.

I was paired with a fifth year named Rafeal, who was built like a cliché thick necked, bodyguard. He was alright, right until he picked me up with one hand and chucked me into a wall. I felt for you, Underwood. I really did.

Still, it was pretty fun. I couldn't wait to learn how to use fire, though I heard only fourth years learn that. Once we learned how to let go of our Limits, we would start on weapons training. I was really eying that red hilted knife on the back wall.

I was brought back to the world of the living by Mai, who jabbed me in the side with her elbow. I straightened out and looked around. There was no teacher, so why did she...?

The air at the front rippled and a man faded into view. His long brown hair was tied back at the base of his neck and covered by a cowboy hat. Dressed modestly in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, the man leaned against the desk and sighed.

"Welcome to Illusions," the man spoke with a southern drawl. "My name is Mahad Schwarz and I will be your teacher. It appears that I have a full class today. I'm guessing that Seto didn't manage to send any of you to the Nurse?"

"Not for lack of trying!" Someone shouted in the back row.

Mahad glared, though there was a playful aspect to it, "You didn't need to say that, Valon. Now," he glanced around the class before his eyes (black abysses of darkness) settled on our table, "You there, what's your name?"

For a moment, I thought he was talking to me. Then Mana, shaking with nerves, opened her mouth, "Mana, sir. Mana Oscuro."

He chuckled, "Please, call me Mahad. I'm no sir and I'm definitely not a professor. Besides, we're all adults here." He motioned for her to come to the front.

She stumbled her way over to Mahad. He smiled kindly, sensing her nervousness, "I'm going to ask you something, Mana, and I would like you to answer as truthfully as possible. Can you do that for me?" She nodded.

"Have you ever made someone see something? Something that wasn't there."

Mana went white under her tan, and I knew exactly how she felt. I remembered the fight I got into when I was fourteen, the day that I learned just how unsafe it was to be out after dark in Domino. I remembered the faces of the six boys that I had somehow sent to a mental ward. I remembered their screams, "Monster! Demon! Oh god, please help me! Get away!"

"They thought..." Mana's voice was barely a whisper, yet it carried over the entire classroom, "They thought I was drugging them…making them see things…but I didn't. I never would…"

"It's okay," Mahad said soothingly. "I believe you, Mana. What you did was perfectly ordinary."

I vaguely caught his reluctance to say "normal." Because that was the one thing we would never be: Normal.

Mahad turned to address the class, "In this class you will be learning to convince an audience that the illusions you create are real. This year we will be focusing mainly on lights and sounds before moving on to invisibility. If we are lucky, we'll try creating doppelgangers. Though I doubt we'll get that far."

He faced Mana once more, "Could you do something for me?" The girl nodded, suddenly charmed by the man, "Think back to the days when you were scared of them. Think back to the days when you wanted them to leave you alone. What do you remember?"

She closed her eyes for a moment; before her nose scrunched up, "Paint. I remember the smell of paint. But it wasn't really a smell. It was-"

"In your mind," I said that, and several pairs of eyes turned to me. "The smell was in your mind."

"Very good," Mahad smiled. "Can anyone inform our new students of what that smell really is?"

Hands went up. The teacher picked someone at the table to my right, "The Magical Sixth Sense. It's what tells us when a spell is being worked in our immediate vicinity. It developed during the Hundred Years War between England and France, when – "

"When the Warlocks needed a way to detect enemy spells. Thank you, Mako. And you may sit down now Mana. One famous French Warlock of that time was Joan D'Arc, who wove illusion upon illusion until no one on the English side truly knew what was real and what was falsehood," Mahad explained. He pushed himself off his desk and began his lesson.

We started with trying to make fireworks appear. Mahad explained that it was alright if we didn't get it today, but it would be homework if we couldn't produce something by the end of class. I hoped that I didn't have to do that: in combination with Seto Kaiba's homework of coming up with fifteen ways to get out of a double handed shirt grab and whatever my next teacher would give us after lunch, I wanted some time to myself.

"Relax," Mahad explained, "and clear your mind. I need you to imagine the light; remember the flashes, the colours. I need you to see it in your mind and want it to be real. For the older students, I want you to make something more complex for me: an animal, a person, anything."

I screwed my eyes shut; trying to think of the last time I had actually seen fireworks. I believe it was a few months ago. I had watched two or three go up from my window on July 4th for the American Independence Day celebration, but had to turn away when the flashing lights got too much for me to handle.

"I suck at this so much," I heard Marik whine. Opening my eyes, I saw that a cat had joined us at the table. It sat regally in front of my roommate, yellow unblinking eyes staring back at me. But…there was something wrong…

"I can never get the realism," Marik explained. "The colours are all flat, and they don't breathe…"

"At least you can get something," I muttered, finally seeing that the cat looked more like a drawing than anything else. Mana mumbled something beside me.

Mai smiled, "It helps if you remember the smell."

I raised an eye brow, "What?"

"Just watch," she pointed to Mana, whose eyes were already closed.

It was an odd thing to see, but the girl's face seemed to smooth out, becoming calm and focused. It was intriguing: Mana had been incredibly nervous in almost everything she did, stammering apologises and shaking when called upon. But now it almost seemed like there was an entirely different person sitting across from him.

And wind – air and wind whooshed around in my mind and it was chaotic and irrational and amazing – and there were lights. They twinkled and sparkled around Mana's small form like stars in the night sky. They are innocent and young, winking in and out of existence in a rainbow of different colours.

"Amazing!" It was the guy who had answered Mahad's question about the Sixth Sense (Mako, was it?), with wild dreads barely restrained by a headband and ponytail. "Is this your first time casting an illusion? Absolutely amazing! Mahad, come have a look at this one."

Mana was too enthralled by the blinking lights to notice the attention; she reached out to one and poked it. It sparked and was pushed back, setting down beneath my nose. My eyes watered and I had to look away.

"They look so real," Marik whispered. "How…"

"Just as I thought," Mai smiled. "You were creating illusions in your sleep last night. You've got talent, hun!"

Mana blushed.

Mahad had come over, "Definitely. With talent like yours, you may one day surpass even me."

I wished I could say that I wasn't jealous, but I kind of was. I really didn't want to be outdone. Not when I just found a place to fit in; I wasn't going back to being a nobody!

I closed my eyes again, and wanted. I wanted the lights, I wanted it so bad. I wanted to the illusion to work and I didn't want to be bested. I wanted…I wanted…

I opened one eye, "Anything?" I asked Marik.

Marik's cat was now changing colours, but refused to loose its flatness, "Nope."

"I thought about mixing the paint when I did it," suggested Mana. "but, if you smell something different…"

"Air…winds…something like that," I explained. "So if I if I thought about mixing winds…"

"Magic is in the soul," Mai commented. "What you believe is what you get."

Mixing winds, huh? I tried again, thinking of churning storms and calm breezes. Mixing and turning and flowing and I wanted lights!

Air rushed around me: cool and warm, swift and still, ancient and new all at the same time. And there were lights!

* * *

"Magic is awesome!"

I though I might have said that five times already, but it was still so freaking cool! While I was no where near Mana's sparkling wonders, I did manage to produce a tiny glowing sun. It looked real enough, according to Mahad, though I still needed some practice.

"We've got the idea already, Bakura," muttered. "And do you really need that much meat in your sandwich?"

"Come on, Marik. This is the first time that I've had access to this quality of food! And what's wrong with being a carnivore?" I took another bite out of my BLT, which had more B than L or T combined.

"Nothing, it's just…ugh..."

"Is it always like that?" Asked Mana, "Are there any specific spells or is magic just open to imagination?"

"I don't really know," Marik said. "If there were any spells, they were lost before the Cut Off. Mostly these days we're just inventing our own or rediscovering ones from the past."

"What's the Cut Off?" I asked.

"Well, how do I put this best…?" My roommate trailed off in thought, racking his brains for an explanation, "Magic is alive and you have to understand that, Bakura. It's a living force that is older than we can ever truly explain. And sometimes it can talk to us."

Mai picked off where he left off, "Usually it speaks to us through dreams. In the past, we learned our history through those dreams. As of recently, Kaiba's been able to write it down and upload it onto our computers. It's because of Noah's constantly adapting security that we can risk having 'textbooks' for the first time in, well, ever.

"Now the weird thing is that no one has ever had a dream pertaining to magical events previous to the tenth century. We have no clue as to what went on during that time or why the Cut Off exists, but it does."

"But what about artefacts? Paintings?" Mana questioned, "Isn't there some sort of evidence?"

"Nothing," Marik smiled crookedly at her. "It's like something wiped everything away."

"So no one knows anything?"

The older two grimaced.

"Well, there is one person…" Mai spoke hesitantly, as if stepping on some sort of taboo.

I was about to ask her to clarify when the sound of cutlery clinking against glass echoed throughout the room. We turned, searching for the source.

I smiled, "It's him."

Solomon Moto stood in the centre of the cafeteria, dressed as immaculately as ever. He smiled that winning smile of his and addressed his audience, "To all our new students, welcome to Atlantis. And to our returns, welcome back. I thought I'd just catch you all before you go off to your next class and say a few words.

"I would like to introduce you to our new school nurse: Kisara Bleu. You'll be seeing Kisara around here, and her office is at the end of the dormitory hallway on the fourth floor."

Kisara was a tall woman in her mid twenties with hair so blonde it could have been white. Her silvery-blue eyes shone brightly, though there was a hidden sadness in them. She raised her hand in hello from the table in the corner (unofficially designated as the teacher's table) and went back to her conversation with Kaiba.

Moto took a breath and continued, "Concerning visits into the city: you will be allowed to go out on weekends and after school if you want to. However, anything you buy will be paid for out of your own pockets. Neither Atlantis nor KaibaCorp will be footing the bill."

"They used to give out credit cards until a few years back," whispered Mako to Weevil, who was sitting beside him. They were sitting at the table beside us, "Until some kid went and spent ten thousand bucks in one go."

"…your rooms clean will be up to you. If you break something, you repair it or find someone who can. Also, anyone who is caught in possession of Orichalcos stones will be expelled on the spot. Thank you for listening," Moto finished off. "If you need to get in contact with anyone, like parents perhaps," a dry, humourless chuckle went around the room, "tell me. It is my job to convince the outside world that this is a Normal school, after all, and we don't want anything to get out. Enjoy the rest of your lunch."

I turned back to the others. "What's Orichalcos?" I asked. It sounded…familiar…like a childhood memory I couldn't place.

Mai bit her lip, "No idea. The teachers mentioned it in the welcome speech last year…" she trailed off and then leaned back, "Hey, Mako. You know what that Orichalcos stuff is?"

"Haven't gotta clue. It's got to be bad, though, if it were to warrant expulsion from a laid back place like this."

Mako was built like Wheeler, with dark muscled arms and a thick torso, but his hands looked callused and scarred from hard labour. His blue t-shirt spelled out "Peace Love Ocean" and was followed by a picture of a penguin.

"Mako Tsunami," he introduced himself. "Third Year Medicine."

Mana and I told him our names, and his eyes went wide at mine. I recognized the look, having already seen it on Mai's face, "Yes, I'm the Necromancer."

"Cool."

We probably would have spoken more, but people were starting to put their plates away. The next class was Summoning, and I had a feeling that this was something that I was going to like.

* * *

Noah, despite being the over confident, annoying program that he is, is very good at what he does. He is the most advanced computer security program in the world.

Don't ever tell him I said that. He'd never let me live it down.

Seto Kaiba invented Noah shortly after entering high school (being the computer wiz that he was and still is today), wanting to create a program that had the adaptive qualities of a human being. Yet, no matter what he based it off of, Kaiba couldn't get something that would be able to take on all the problems he threw at it.

And then he realized what he was missing: while Noah needed to have the intelligence of an adult, he needed to have the mind of a teenager to be able to adjust to each situation he was put in.

The NOAH project was completed in Kaiba's graduating year, perfected during his stay at Atlantis, and put into effect the moment he inherited Gozaburo Inc.

It was because of his constantly shifting nature that Noah has been able to protect the existence of KaibaCorp's top secret projects as well as Atlantis. He is so good that the company has become a sort of legend among hackers. Anyone who had ever tried to pry open their security systems was greeted with more spam then any computer should be able to handle, sixteen of the worst viruses known to the tech community, and a single message that said "Sucker!"

Oh. And then Noah kills their computers dead, because he's a bastard like that.

* * *

"Summoning," Shadi began is explanation. He was a tall man in his early forties that spoke with a slight accent and wore a turban, "is the probably the most ancient of arts known to Others in the modern world. To truly understand it, we must conclude that there are parts of magic that we cannot perceive with our natural senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell.

"Please pull up the pdf file on the Shadow Realm and Summoning."

The room was quickly filled with the soft clicks of fingers hitting touch screen monitors. The file opened on the screen in front of me and filled my vision with text.

"We aren't going to be doing any Summoning today," Shadi explained. "Just a little review for the older students while allowing the newer ones to get some context as to what we are going to be doing in this class. Would somebody like to read the first bit aloud?"

There was a flicker of hands all around (myself included, which surprised me a little. I didn't normally volunteer to do anything at Domino High). Shadi pointed at a student in the back. Marik scowled beside me.

"Alister," the blonde's tone was low and dangerous. "Asshole."

Apparently, this Alister was bad news. Marik never seemed like the type to get angry.

The guy had red hair and wore a coat with a multitude of buckles, "The Shadow Realm is, for all intents and purposes, another dimension that runs parallel to our own. Not much is known about the Realm itself; we don't know much about where it came from or what is inside of it. We do, however, know how to tap into its powers.

"The Shadow Realm is where magic is derived from. It is through its influence that Others are able to access magic , channel it, and put it to use. And it is because the Realm that we are able to Summon."

Shadi called upon another person to read, this time a girl in the middle, "Summoning is the act of calling upon the creatures of the Shadow Realm to aid us. They can take the form of anything: mythological beings, humans, animals, monsters, etc. Once Summoned, these creatures feed off of our magic, using it to connect with the Shadow Realm in order for them to remain stable in this world. Without this connection, they cannot live on our plane of existence. It is imperative that a Summoner learn to channel this constant feed to his or her creatures, or they will refuse to be Summoned at all."

I raised my hand, "Sir, what do they mean be 'refuse to be Summoned'?"

"Exactly that," Shadi answered. "Summoning is a two way contract. Both sides must agree for a creature to breach the barriers of the Realm and come into ours. Without their consent, Summoning would be impossible."

"So using that logic, would it be possible for a creature to bring a human into Shadow Realm? If the human consented, of course," I asked.

The man paused for a bit, "In theory, I guess it would. But I've never heard of it happening before, so I can't be sure.

"Now, as explained before, Summoning is what happens when an Other connects fully to the Shadow Realm, the source of magic," he said. "One needs to go deep within themselves to grasp this power. The most useful way of doing this is through meditation. So find someplace comfortable and try to look within yourself by meditating."

Most of the students went for the open area in the middle of the floor, but I sat on a desk. I really wanted to concentrate and being in the middle of a group of twitchy teenagers and young adults wouldn't help that. From what I knew of meditation, one had to sit with their eyes closed and…sort of…I didn't know…think?

Uh…some help here!

As if he was telepathic (or maybe he was), Shadi continued talking, "Concentrate on your breathing. Think of nothing else: not your homework or your classes or even your friends. Imagine a box. Put all your thoughts into that box and then push it away. What's left?"

A murky darkness was what was left. Infinite blackness and swirling purples clouded my mind and – wait. What's that? It wasn't a thing; it was more of a feeling, than anything else. It was warm and pulsing, calling to come forward.

I followed.

I didn't know what I expected: a bright light at the end of a tunnel, more than likely. But this I didn't see coming.

It was a room. Or more specifically, it was my room. My home, my sanctuary, my little space in the world where I didn't have to worry about anything. And it was here…how?

But there was something different about it. I didn't remember the posters on the walls, depicting my favourite bands or books that I liked. I certainly didn't recall having a photo album with pictures of Marik, Mai, and Mana open on my desk. I definitely didn't remember having a steel door installed.

And I didn't think that I ever had a fire pit in the middle of my room. And even if I did, I wouldn't have lit a it.

The flame was red. Not a rosy red or even a burning red, as seen in some fires. No, it was a demonic red flame. The same colour as my eyes.

This was my magic; my connection to the Shadow Realm. I knelt before the fire, basking in its warmth and wondered how many other people had the chance to see what the inside of their souls looked like, because that had to be where I was. This room was my soul.

I passed my hand through the flames. It didn't burn, but I got the sense of void and emptiness that needed to be filled and used and –

Hehehehe, laughter came from the other side of the door. Hehehehe, he thinks that this is all for him!

I stood and rushed over to the door, pressing my ear against it.

Hush, Dark God, another voice, and there was a hint of a French accent. He's not ready. He doesn't need to hear us now.

Hypocrite, you've already spoken to him. He even acknowledged you once! This one was angry and spiteful, Don't go calling the kettle black, Akeifa.

Shhhhh! I think he heard…

I think my heart just stopped. Why were there voices in my soul? I needed to find out who they were and why they were here. This was my soul, damn it. Get your own.

I pushed open the door. Beyond it was a hallway, lit by torches that cast long shadows on the wall. On the other side were six identical doors, all rusted over by time.

"Who's there?" I shouted into the darkness, "Who's there? I know I heard something."

Hehehe, it was the first voice again. Little Kura-Bakura. Thinks he's all alone. Doesn't know he's cursed. That he's not just flesh and bone.

"I'm not interested in riddles, show yourself!" I yelled.

Little Kura-Bakura. Now hear me out, ahem. Beware My Queen, the beauty. Beware of Mistress A-

Be silent, Dark God! This voice was new, and sounded like raging wolves and thundering storms, Do not ever mention the wench, not in front of me!

How dare you insult My Queen! You want to fight, Game Master? Then let's fight!

The six doors slammed open and suddenly I was burning and freezing, dying and being born again. I backed against the wall and covered my face with my hands. It hurt, it hurt so much! What was happening? What was going on?

I felt hands close upon my shoulders, guiding me away from the onslaught of magic. Idiots, all of them, the owner of the hands said. Fighting amongst themselves while you were around. Do they want to go back to the Darkness that quickly?

He spun me around to face him, Listen Bakura-sama, never leave your Soul Room again. You don't want to get caught up in their fights.

My eyes widened as I saw the face of my saviour…no way…no fucking way…

"Who are you?" I asked.

The man smirked a horrifyingly familiar smirk, My name is Touzoku.

And with that, he pushed me backwards and I shrieked as I fell into consciousness.

* * *

"Bakura! Bakura, wake up!"

I snapped into awareness so fast I swore that I got whip lash. Mai stood in front of me, worry marring her face. She relaxed when she saw my eyes open, "Thank god, you were screaming your lungs out!"

I looked around the class; people were staring at me with odd combinations of concern, fear, and curiosity. Marik stepped forwards, "You okay, man?"

I nodded slowly. Mai helped me to my feet, as Shadi stepped forward. He gripped me by the shoulders and – I suddenly felt terror wash over me, but Shadi wasn't Touzoku so why was I worried, but oh god help me – gazed into my eyes.

"What did you see, boy?" Shadi's eyes were a hypnotic blue-green colour, "Where did you go?"

"A room…there was a room…and –" I tried to answer, but was cut off.

"Amazing! You actually entered your Soul Room on your first try!" He exclaimed, "I knew it! I knew you would be great at this, Bakura."

"But…but there was…" No one was listening to me. They were all looking at me with some kind of amazement, whispering among themselves and pointing at me.

I had wanted attention, but now I wasn't so sure.

Dinner was quick and homework was even quicker. I completed the notes that Shadi assigned us on the passage we had read, along with Kaiba's and Mahad's work as fast as I could. Telling Marik I wasn't feeling too well, I curled up under the covers of my bed and tried to catch some sleep.

But I couldn't. I just couldn't get over the sight that I saw in my Soul Room. I couldn't get over the being known only to me as Touzoku.

It was his face.

Because even though it was more angled, that his eyes were more slanted…because even though the hair cut was wrong and he was much older…

Touzoku and I shared the same face.

* * *

**As one of my dearest friends would say, "Well, that was a total mind-fuck."**

**Thank you to all those who reviewed for chapter 4: Eleanora-Griffindor and Akikee, you're amazing.**

**Combat, Illusions, and Summoning theory has been introduced. If you have any questions about any of those branches of magic, be sure to send me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

**Muffins all around,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	6. Pillow Fight of Doom

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Pillow Fight of Doom**

_Tuesday, October 19th, 2016_

"What do you mean I'm not going to learn Necromancy?"

Shadi stood in the doorway of the dorm I shared with Marik and sighed, "What I mean is that the teacher we found for you was delayed and won't be able to come until next month. You're still going to learn, just not now."

"Delayed? But can't you teach me?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, Bakura, I can't. I'm not a Necromancer," he answered.

I was puzzled, "But you're the Summoning teacher here, why can't you…"

"Just because I'm good at Summoning doesn't mean I'm a Necromancer," the man explained. "They're born, not made. Aside from yourself and your future teacher, there's only one other person in the world with your gift. And Yusei is far too concentrated on his work in Rwanda to even answer his cell phone anymore."

I let out an irritated huff of air, "So my teacher, he'll get here next month, right?" I wanted to be able to learn something eventually. I wanted to go back to the graveyard and show the spirits my new skills.

Shadi smiled, "Yes, Bakura. She'll be here next month." He closed the door, as Marik came out of the washroom.

"What was that about?" my roommate asked.

"Shadi," I explained, slightly irritated. "He wanted to tell me that the person who is teaching me Necromancy isn't going to be coming until next month. And she's a girl."

Marik smirked, "What's wrong with her being a girl? Just don't look at her boobs the entire time and you'll do fine."

My eye twitched. The blonde had yet to let me forget my introduction to Mai. "Brat," I countered.

"Fluffy," Marik's smirk got impossibly wide. "Come on, we've got Enchantment today!"

Enchantment, as I discovered, was taught by a tall man with greying hair. His name was Maximillion Pegasus, and apparently he owned, like, three casinos down in Las Vegas. The man spoke as if everything were a game and judging by the man's profession, I wouldn't doubt if that was how he saw the world.

"Welcome! Welcome! And welcome back!" He began, a very real looking, false-smile on his face, "Welcome to Enchantment. I will be your teacher, you can call me Pegasus. This year we will be starting off with a review of mind speak and then move on hypnosis. After that, we'll cover the basics of mind manipulation and – just for fun – we'll get into some dream bending. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Laugher went around the classroom, and I joined in. Pegasus just seemed like a joke.

Only Marik wasn't laughing. In fact, he was looking a little green around the gills. "Uh oh," I heard him whisper, "This isn't going to end well."

Suddenly, I couldn't feel my arms. Or my legs. Or anything, for that matter. It was as if my entire body had gone numb and…

Why did I care? It was nice here, in this white paradise. Nothing to worry about, nothing to care for, no family getting me down. Family? What family? What was a family? And why would I need them?

And then the white world dropped away and I was at the front of the classroom, surrounded by the nine other first years. And we had all swapped clothing.

I was wearing Rex Raptor's hat and what looked like the dress Mana decided to wear today. My eyes went wide. Please tell me I was still wearing my boxers!

I was. At least I still had some sort of modesty left.

"Enchantment is not for fun," Pegasus' eyes were suddenly brown chunks of ice. "It is not something to be taken lightly. Instead of making you trade clothing in front of the class, I could have had you drown yourself or assassinate the President. I don't care what Kaiba-boy thinks, Combat is not the most dangerous thing you will be learning here: Enchantment is. And you have to learn when to draw the line, because next time it isn't going to be a joke."

He turned to all of us, "There's a washroom down the hall. Go change and come back immediately."

We ran from the room, faces redder that beats. I tried to keep the back of my skirts from flying up as I moved. How did girls manage this on a regular basis? Either way, I wasn't going to be making comments about their clothing anymore.

The boys ducked into our washroom and practically tore what we were wearing off. Whatever we could exchange, we did. Since Weevil Underwood was the most dressed out of all of us, we sent him out with the girls' clothes. He came back a minute later with the rest of our stuff.

Not a single word was exchanged on the way back. We returned to our seats as quietly as possible. Pegasus had the class reading over some notes on telepathy. I opened up the document on my tablet. Another window appeared, some sort of high-tech msn. Someone had sent me a message.

MalevolentPuppetMaster22: Peg dz dat 2 evry 1st yr cls

It took me a moment to realize that it was Marik who had sent me that. And then another to realize what he said.

Wh1t5-D3m0n has signed in

Wh1t5-D3m0n: u 2?

Marik bit his lip before responding.

MalevolentPuppetMaster22: Yah

MalevolentPuppetMaster22 has signed off

At first I thought he switched back to reading the pdf so quickly was because Pegasus was walking over to make sure we were doing our work. But it couldn't have been just that. Marik was practically shaking on the other side of the table and looked as if he was going to be sick. I risked another message while the teacher had his back turned.

Wh1t5-D3m0n: u ok?

MalevolentPuppetMaster22 has signed in

MalevolentPuppetMaster22: no

* * *

I sucked at Enchantment.

No, I wasn't exaggerating: I sucked. In fact, I didn't just suck. I SUCKED! All capitals. Arg!

Where as the rest of the first years were at least able to transmit some sort of emotion through a roughly composed mind link with an older partner, I could do nothing. Even with Marik opening his mental shields to the maximum, I still couldn't get anything.

Marik had even mentioned that it had been painfully easy to enter my mind when we first met. I had no shields or outward spear to even try for telepathy.

I FREAKING SUCKED THAT THIS!

I was so gonna flunk whatever test or exam thing that Pegasus threw at us. Aarrrgggg!

Marik was still not looking to good. He had stopped shaking at least, but I was still a little worried about him. Mana was, too. She moved over to him as we started to make our way over to our next class (which was Medicine, taught by one Ishizu Ishtar) and tried to put her hand on his shoulder. Key word being tried.

He jerked away from her before she got too close. Mana looked down trodden, but she mumbled softly to him in a calm voice. Marik gave a sad smile and grabbed hold of sleeve of her dress.

I blinked, "What…?"

"He usually enjoys Pegasus' classes," Mai explained, coming up from behind me. "Marik really gets into most of the Enchantment lessons, with the exception of Strings, but that's only because he can't talk. It's unusual for him to be like this, but it's understandable."

"How is it understandable? Why's he so…" I didn't know how to finish my sentence, so I just waved my arm around and indicated to my roommate.

Mai cringed, "No one here really asks what happened to people before they came to Atlantis; you tell people when you're ready. Give Marik some time, he's a good person. He just has some problems with touch. I don't know why. He's hasn't told me yet."

I remembered what Marik had told me the first day, "The Ward, the part of magic that keeps Normals away from us, affects each and every Other in some way. I'm not asking what it did to you. That's none of my business. But it happened to everyone, from our teachers to our classmates, so don't ever think you're alone in this."

We weren't alone, not anymore. And whatever happened with Marik…well, if the time came and he told me about his past, I was going to be there for him. I was going to be there for them all.

For the first time in my life, there were people that meant something to me. And I wasn't going to mess this up.

* * *

Ishizu Ishtar was a very interesting woman. Being older than her younger brother by about six or seven years, she possessed a startling grace that Marik had yet to truly develop. She had long black hair, bright blue eyes, and spoke in a voice that was calm and powerful at the same time. The only hint of her relationship with Marik was her face: they shared very similar features.

"Hello, and congratulations on making it this far without having to meet one of us. My name is Ishizu, and working with me this year will be Kisara," our teacher nodded to the nurse that was sitting nearby. Kisara's hair was done up in an intercut braid today that was coiled against the base of her neck.

Ishizu continued on, "I just a few quick rules before we get started. If you have hair that goes past your shoulders, I would like you to tie it up. Also, don't touch anything in here without permission from either myself or Kisara."

Someone passed me a box filled with hair ties that I suspected were purchased from a dollar store. I took a black one and passed it over to Marik. He grumbled, selecting one and started to secure his hair back with it.

Okay, this shouldn't be too hard.

Ishizu kept talking, "In Medicine, we will be learning how to knit cuts back together, treat burns and bruises, and heal broken bones. We won't just be doing it the magical way, though. We will learn the Normal way to treat these ailments, as well." A groan went around the class and the teacher's face became stern, "There will come a time where you will have to heal a Normal that does not know of your powers. In that case, you need to know how to use both. A life is a life, and Normals are clearly the dominate population on this earth. The chances of you not having to treat one in your lifetime are slim to none."

I fumbled and dropped the hair tie. Curse this stupid thing, it just wouldn't stay put! Bloody useless contraption…

I nearly jumped when I felt long fingers run through my hair. They gently pulled white locks backwards and looped them through the tie that had been snatched from my hand. Mai leaned forwards and spoke in the voice that she used when we first met, "There. Now you should be able to concentrate."

My face went red, "Stop that!"

She chuckled softly, "You are too cute!"

I bit my lip. I wasn't cute. I didn't do cute. At all. And I really wish she's stop laughing at me. This was awkward enough as it was.

"We'll be starting out will self-healing today," I started paying attention to Ishizu again. "The body that you know the most will be your own. I'm sure that Shadi has already gone over the basics of meditation. I hear from him that some of you have already entered your Soul Rooms," there was a pointed look sent my way. "When you enter your Rooms, you will find a bed or couch of some kind. That is where you learn the most about themselves; where you truly examine yourself for who you are and what's going on in your body."

I remembered the Room and how the bed looked comfortable and cushy - a lot more then my actual bed probably was with no broken springs or anything.

Ishizu instructed us to enter our minds and lie down on the bed. The chances that we had contracted some sort of minor disease or pulled a muscle or something were pretty high. Our immune system was pretty active after all. We had to practice burning off sickness from our own bodies before we moved onto larger things.

I was still worried about going back to my Soul Room. What if Touzoku or one of the other voices were there? What if they started fighting again? What if…what if…

No! I was not going to let this fear beat me. Touzoku, despite my uncertainties, had led me away from the fray. Touzoku had protected me. And there was that other voice; I recognized it as the voice that gave me advice whenever I got into a fight at Domino. Akeifa: that was his name.

Who ever they were, I didn't think they were out to get me. I didn't think they were going to cause any problems. Heck, they might not even be real.

I felt a stab of irritation that wasn't quite mine. Okay, maybe they were a little real, but I wasn't about to go admitting that I had voices in my head. I was pretty sure that that wasn't a usual occurrence amongst Others.

Clearing my mind of all thoughts and retracing yesterday's steps into the murky darkness of infinite blackness and swirling purples, I came upon my Room. My soul. My inner sanctuary.

The bed was just as soft and comfy as it looked. I made a small production of testing it to see if it would hold my weight before realizing how stupid I was being. A soft chuckle came from the other side of the door. I ignored it.

Lying down on the bed, I could immediately understand why Ishizu wanted us to do this: I was aware of everything. I became aware of my legs and arms, my bones and muscles, and the very blood flowing through my veins. I could feel my heart pumping, sense my stomach digesting breakfast, and, wow, I could feel myself breathing. It was a totally surreal experience.

But there was something weird with my body, something that could only be described as not right. It was wrong. It was focused around my chest and my face, specifically my eyes and nose. Wait! Devlin! Duke Devlin! The fight! I was sensing my bruises that were still healing from the fight that had taken place last Friday!

But what can I do about this? What was I supposed to do? What had Ishizu said?

"…try to burn the sickness away…"

I raised my head a little bit, glancing at the demonic red fire in the centre of the room. Could it really be that easy?

I extended my hand – muscles extending and contracting as bones shifted in their sockets – and wanted. I wanted the flame to come to my hands because I remembered the void and the emptiness it had felt and I had a purpose for it now. Just come to me please!

Flame ignited in my hand, a proud red colour that reflected in my eyes, and I held it over where the worst of the bruising was. The discolouration on my chest began to fade as the tiny, ruptured capillaries beneath my skin knitted themselves together again. It smelled like hospitals and anti-bacterial hand soaps, and even though I hated those things I found this amazing because I could help people with this. I could help people and maybe then they wouldn't be so scared.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Probably not.

I opened my eyes (my real ones, not the ones I used when I was in my Soul Room) as Ishizu started making rounds around the room, waking everyone up. It was the end of class already and I had just managed to heal a single bruise. For a moment I felt a little disappointed in my self, but then I realized that I had just started. The only other spell I had been able to accomplish so far was an Illusion that made a bright sun appear in my hand. I needed practice. I would practice.

I would succeed and no Touzoku or Akeifa or anyone was going to stop me.

* * *

Marik had finally calmed down at the end of lunch, picking his way through his garden salad the entire time. He mumbled some sort of explanation, but I didn't really catch it. Mana flashed him a smile as we started to make our way to our final class of the day. Marik's death grip on her sleeve started to relax.

Morphing was taught by a man named Karim, a calm stocky Indian man whose accent had become barely noticeable after several years in the US. His short black hair framed his dark eyes and he smiled when he spoke.

"Morphing is the art of turning one thing into another," he began. "It is a very broad subject of magic: everything from transforming pencils into pens to tranquil skies into a hurricane can be classified as Morphing. It is the most basic of skills that you need to master and can be used in most of your day-to-day activities. However there is one rule that you must follow"

Karim's eyes became hard, "To create something new, you must sacrifice something of equal value. Wood cannot create metal. Water cannot produce fire. Plastics cannot generate food. Do not force something to become what it is not meant to be. The results can be disastrous."

He had Weevil Underwood pass out what looked like craft materials from a kindergarten class. Glue, crayons, cardboard tubes, coloured paper. Lots of stuff. Fun-fun.

"Be creative," Karim said, "Make something out of this for me. The principle is the same as Illusion magic, except everything is already in front of you. You have to want the materials to move together. You need to really want it to happen."

I poked at one of the cardboard tubes. "What do we make?" I asked.

Mai smiled, "Anything you want. This is just beginner stuff."

"Sorry for being a beginner," Mana displayed a bit of sarcasm I didn't know she had.

On one of the other tables, Mako Tsunami had the glue twisting and turning, forming a sort of waxy figurine of a whale. I narrowed my eyes. How did he do that?

I thought-smelled flowers and damp earth, and turned back to the table. Mai's eyes were closed in concentration and held her hands over the cardboard. It seemed to unfold itself and then refold into an origami bird with sharp claws and a razor sharp beak. Extending her hand, one of the crayons rolled towards her. The colour started to transfer onto the bird, painting it an eerie black.

"It looks annoyed," she said, holding her creation up and examining it. "I think I'll call it Rafeal."

Marik snorted. It was his first positive reaction since the morning.

Mana looked frustrated, her paper seemed to be shifting colours but nothing else, "How do you do this?"

Marik shifted over and spoke in a voice that reminded me of the person who had woken me up the other day by yanking the covers off my bed, "Just think about what you do when you make Illusions. You do great with that."

"I am, it's just these things are too real," she let out an aggravated sigh.

"Let me show you."

Mai make her bird bend over and peck me, "Come on, hun. You try something." She tossed me some crayons and paper.

I thought about how with Illusions I mixed winds to create what I wanted. I turned to Marik, who was making Mana's paper fold itself into a box. I thought of the park after a sun shower and the flowers in my mother's window boxes. I imagined different coloured flowers blooming in her garden. And I wanted the colour to come off the crayons.

I pulled from the flame in my Soul and I imagined the house that I grew up in back in Cardith. I pulled it from the fire and pushed it outwards onto the crayons and the paper.

I opened my eyes to a really childish crayon drawing of that old house. It was something that you would expect from a five year old. Something that I never really got the chance to show off. I smiled sadly. I really like drawing and artwork. Arts and Crafts was my favour activity when I was a kid, even though my parents never liked my creations like they did my sisters. But that was okay. Really.

It was okay.

My Morphing would improve, just as my drawings had done. My doodles in the margins of my notes from school had got better over my years at Domino High.

All I needed was practice.

* * *

Like the students, most of the teachers at Atlantis only work at the school part time. They obviously have to have jobs: Moto doesn't really pay them a lot of money to teach as his budget isn't as big as he'd like it to be.

For the most part, they work in various high end positions at KaibaCorp. Ishizu Ishtar is in charge of Public Relations for the Washington branch. She's quite good at it, too. Ishizu's clairvoyant, meaning she has limited Seer abilities. It allows her to see obstacles that are coming her way and find out ways to overcome them. She really helped us out during the War with her powers.

Karim works in the San Francisco building. He's pretty much in charge there, reporting only to Kaiba himself. Mahad is Head of Security for one of the branches on the eastern coastline. You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Mahad is a beast in battle. You haven't known fear until you fight that man. Pegasus is a major share holder for KaibaCorp. Shadi is second-in-command for the Miami office, while Solomon Moto has a full time job trying to convince the press that Seto Kaiba is just running a placement school for gifted youngsters.

I don't know how he manages it. Amane told me once that the original Atlantis website looked good on the surface, but once you really started digging, you keep coming up with blanks. We technically don't exist.

But then again, my sister is one of the best hackers in the world. She could give Noah a run for his money in information gathering alone. And that is saying something.

And then there's Kisara Bleu. She's actually Kaiba's secretary, thought there are a lot of rumours that she's something more to him. At this point in my life, they're pretty close, but not to the degree that some people think they are. They're just friends. Kisara is probably the only person that Kaiba will completely trust, outside his younger Normal brother and his mother through adoption.

After all, Kisara did save his life a long time ago. That alone was enough to put her in Kaiba's good books.

* * *

That night after dinner, Marik and I packed up our tablets and headed over to Mana's room. It was set up the same as ours, only the walls were yellow and sported more posters on them. Giant letters spelling out "The Harpy Ladies" glittered from every wall. Three women in skin tight, black leather garments smirked in their microphones.

"I'm guessing you like them," I said to Mai, silently hoping that they weren't Mana's posters. I didn't think I could handle the knowledge that a sweet girl like Mana could listen to something sung by women dress like that.

"Oh, yeah," Mai responded. "They're a new Canadian band, based out of Toronto. You don't hear a lot about them down in the States as much, though I think I've turned Mana into a fan."

Mind soap. I needed some mind soap. Now.

We spread out on the floor, and pulled up one of the assignments we had been given today. I was in a study group, an actual study group, for the first time in my life.

For a moment, my mind reeled in what had happened in the last week. I had learned that I could do magic, that I was a Necromancer. I was going to a school filled with people like my self. I was sitting around people that didn't hate me, that didn't judge me, that didn't think that I wasn't worth the gum on the bottom of their shoes. The three people in this room honestly liked being around me. And I liked being around them.

This was all too new, all too amazing and wonderful to take in at one time. And I really didn't want it to stop because Atlantis was where I could just be me and not be condemned for it. I liked it here. I liked being me for the first time since Rebecca called me her hero.

"Bakura," Mana leaned forward, looking worried. "Bakura, is something wrong?"

I bit my lip, most likely looking hopeless and lost. I didn't know what to say. Mai smiled softly and placed her hand on mine. It was a small gesture, but it meant everything in the world to me right now.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I said. "I okay now."

Marik and I crashed in their room for the night. Mai said she had found some extra blankets and pillows in a storage closet down the corridor (though I suspected that she really just stole them from our room). The curtains that covered the window were open just a crack, letting the moonlight shine through. It pooled on the ground beside me like a pretty silver puddle.

Then Marik rolled over with a snore, his sock clad foot kicking me in the side. I chucked my pillow at him. He stole my blanket. Brat.

Our antics nearly resolved into a Pillow Fight of Doom had Mai not rolled over, completely pissed off that we had woken her up out of a dead sleep, and given us her patented Evil Eye. We settled for a game of tic-tac-toe.

No, there was definitely no perfect tranquility here, but Atlantis was real. More real than any school that I had gone to before. And I was happy for once, even though Marik proved to be the best tic-tac-toe-er out of the two of us.

I got my pillow back, and my blanket, though. I was clearly the better thief.

* * *

For every discipline of magic, there is a more advanced branch that select people are born with the talents to use. Necromancy is just one of the six more complex fields called Overpowers that magic can take.

For example, those blessed with incredible talents in Morphing are usually born shape shifters. They have the ability to become anyone, turn into anything. They can be male or female, old or young, have short blonde hair or spiky neon green. And they aren't limited to human forms as well: as long as the thing can be considered 'alive' they can become it. So they can become a tree or a squirrel, but rocks and bookshelves are off.

After that you've got Seers. Their talent comes from Enchantment, as their brains are hardwired differently then everyone else. There are three types of Seers: True Seers that can predict the future, those of clairvoyance who can see the present, and mediums that can observe the past. Ishizu is clairvoyant and the only Seer I've ever met. It gets freaky sometimes when she starts talking about the things that she sees.

Then you've got my talent: Necromancy. The most basic talents of a Necromancer include being able to see and communicate with spirits, helping them move on to whatever comes after death, and possession. Only True Necromancers have ever been able to give spirits physical form and raise the dead, but they are incredible rare. The last True Necromancer existed just before the Cut Off. I'm the first one in almost twelve hundred years.

These three are the more docile of the Overpowers. People who are Shape Shifters, Seers, or Necromancers can usually live through their lives without any real disturbances and obvious differences. The other three, however, are a lot more dangerous.

Out of the Illusion branch, you have what are called Creators. These art people that can bring their Illusions to life, make them real, living beings that can walk and breathe and eat. You want a beautiful woman to become your wife, you've got her. You want thousands of dollars in gold bars, you've got it. You want an army filled with murderous, club wielding monsters that will obey your every command, you've got it. I've only met one Creator before. I never want to meet one again.

From Medicine, there is the Death Touch ability. Those with this power have the ability to generate poisons and diseases within their own body and past it along. Some of the most infamous plagues were created using the Death Touch. Disease is transferred through skin contact, involuntary or not. The Other that created SARS didn't know what he was doing until it was too late. The one that produced the Black Death, however, didn't do it by accident.

And finally we've got the Berserker form of combat magic. Those with this ability generally try to suppress their emotions as much as possible, especially their anger. This is because when faced with extreme emotions, Berserkers lose themselves and become nothing more than rabid beasts. They could kill their best friend on this form and not think anything of it, until they calmed down. There is a Berserker living at Atlantis right now. Try and guess who it is. It's not who you'd really expect.

Those who are privileged or damned enough to be able to use these advanced branches know that their magic works differently when they See or Create shambling creatures. Others who are nearby me when I use Necromancy say that they can't sense my magic. The only Magical Sixth Sense that will go off is our own. That means we can use our abilities and remain undetected. It means that we're both a threat and a convenience all in one.

It means I'm a target for crazy maniacs that want to watch the world burn. I once said that I would never save the world 'one hacked game console at a time.' I was wrong.

* * *

**Hello again.**

**I'd like to thank my reviewers: Eleanora-Griffindor, Akikee, Coolaloo, and EgyptianSoul.88. You guys are amazing!**

**Once again, if you have any questions about the branches of magic that were introduced in this chapter (as well as any of the Overpowers), just send me a message or review. I'll be happy to answer you.**

**On a completely different note, I would like to wish you all a happy Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish myself, but I have friends that are and I do celebrate with them. I want to extend those wishes out to all of the people that read this story. Have a great time!**

**I'm handing out cake this time (and no, it's not a lie). Enjoy!**

**AlcatrazOutpatient.**


	7. Wearing Different Glass

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Wearing Different Glasses**

I fell into a routine quite quickly.

Mornings would start off with Marik's excessive cheeriness and my impressions of the living dead. Breakfast would consist of eggs, bacon, and toast before we headed off to Combat. I'd get my arse handed to me by Rafael, followed by Seto Kaiba's Training from Hell where he proceeded to kill us through some military grade work outs. After that we'd go to Illusions, where my shiny little sun had doubled in size and started to change colours. Mana had moved on to creating ribbons, making her the most advanced of all the first years. Then we had lunch, and headed off to Summoning. Shadi was showing us how to make contact with the creatures of the Shadow Realm. I had started talking with one the Friday of my first week at Atlantis. I don't know what the little guy looks like, but he called himself Sangan.

The next day, I would struggle through Enchantment. No amount of trying would allow me to cast even the most simplest of spells, so I had to sit through Pegasus' annoying quips and Marik's mental pokes. Medicine was easily the highlight of my day. By the end of the week, Ishizu had taught us how to reduce the internal bleeding associated with a bruise, both the magical and the Normal ways. The damage from my fight with Devlin was all gone. After that we had Morphing, but I wasn't that much of a fan of it than some of my other classes. I was struggling with changing a block of wood into something more artistic. So was Mana, which surprised me: Morphing was basically the same sort of thing as Illusions, only less fantasy and more non-fiction.

Over the weekend, Marik showed me around the streets of Washington, DC. We went to the Smithsonian National Zoo (Marik bought the tickets, before making me swear to never attempt to pay him back) and spent our Saturday looking at massive cats and aquariums of fish. I managed to capture some pictures on my phone. It was truly amazing.

We met up with Mako, Rex, and Weevil, along with Weevil's sponsor: a mute kid named Coy Burke, but everyone just called him Strings. We ended up walking up and down the shops that littered the streets of the city. I ducked into one and bought my self a sketchbook and some pencils. I knew that I'd have to keep them secret with the "no paper policy," so I paid in cash. I just wanted something to keep the memories of my stay at Atlantis alive when I went back to Domino.

Shit, I really didn't want to go back. Stupid rules…I couldn't wait until I graduated high school. Then I was leaving and never going back.

I spent the rest of my weekend catching up on homework that I had left undone. I asked Mai for some advice on our Combat homework, which was to master the five take-downs that Kaiba had taught us in the last class. I thought I had the mechanics right on at least one of them, but apparently I was wrong.

"You got to twist their shoulders," Mai explained. "It throws them of balance enough that you can sweep their legs out from under them. Didn't your partner tell you that?"

I grumbled in my head about Rafael, my six foot tall Combat partner who liked throwing me across the floor more than he liked speaking.

I didn't get it: Kaiba wasn't teaching us how to do anything other then get beat up. He deliberately paired the first years up with people who were so far advanced that they could defeat us with one hand. It was really frustrating.

And Kaiba's only advice was to "jump in with both feet." What the bloody hell was that supposed to mean? So yeah, I hated Combat. I just didn't get what I was supposed to do.

* * *

_Tuesday, October 35th, 2016_

"Get up."

I thought that was the biggest sentence I had heard Rafael say in three days. I didn't really care, though. I was more concentrated on breathing at the moment.

Who knew that a punch to the gut could actually feel like I got run over by a freight train? What was this guy made of, anyways? Steel?

"Fuck you," I wheezed. "And fuck your mother, too."

Rafael blinked, "My mother's dead."

I grinned, "I'm a Necromancer, dumbass."

His face remained blank as I hauled my self to my feet. Nothing that I said could faze this guy. My words – my primary weapons – had become utterly useless. And there was no advice springing from the back of my mind anymore. It seemed as if the mysterious voices were taking a break. Which sucked, because I could really use some help right now.

Kaiba was being as helpful as usual, "Just jump in," he said. "Jump in with both feet."

The sadistic bastard was enjoying this, I just know it. He liked watching people suffer.

I charged Rafael again, ducking beneath a faster-than-fast right hook and – smash! Knee to the face! And I was down again.

Kisara rushed over to stop whatever concussion I had just received. She had become a permanent resident in Combat since our second class when someone's arm broke. The though-smell of rubbing alcohol invaded my mind as the stars cleared from my vision.

"Are you alright to continue?" She asked. I nodded, thankfully without any of the nausea I should have experienced. Kisara leaded in.

"Rafael drops his guard a lot," the nurse whispered. "When he does, strike hard and fast, then get out of the way."

"But how am I supposed to get in when he's running on Combat magic and I'm not?" I questioned, "How do you let go of your Limits?"

"Kisara!" Kaiba yelled from the other side of the room, "The brat's fine. Stop babying him."

Kisara moved away, "Just jump in. Jump in to the fire."

"What?"

And then Rafael was on me again.

Duck. Dodge Left. Kick right – blocked! Get out of the way! Shit!

"Get up," I wanted to kill the bastard. I wanted to kill him dead. Son of a -

Jump into the fire, it was the voice, with his French accent and calm undertones: the voice of Akeifa. Jump into the fire.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, "What do I do?"

There was silence once more.

Jump into the fire? If they were referring to my magic, I had already tried to call it to me. I willed it to make me stronger, make me faster, make me better. It hadn't worked at all. The flame just fizzled out when I tried to use it in a punch.

"Get up."

Jump into the fire, that's what Kisara said. And during our first class, Kaiba had told us to trust our magic.

So I needed to believe in it. I needed to jump into the fire and trust it not to burn me. I needed to trust it not to consume me. I needed to trust it not to control me.

I stood before the flame in my soul, knowing what I had to do now.

"I trust you," I told it. "I trust you to guide me, and let me guide you."

If fire could smile, I think it would be doing that right now. And so I jumped.

"Get up," Rafael was talking again. "Get up and fight. Are you a coward?"

"No," I growled. I was burning; liquid lava was flowing through my veins, but it didn't hurt. It was a good burn, one that made me feel confident and powerful and in control, "No. I'm not."

"Not getting up?" Rafael smirked, "You're giving up. Finally, you never had the talent anyways." And then he started to walk away, back to his friends Valon and Alister.

"No."

No, he was not walking out on me. I was not finished. I was not done. I was not.

"No," I continued. "I'm not the coward. You are."

Rafael stopped in his tracks, shoulders tense and back straight. Satisfaction sparked in my mind, I had finally found the thing that would drive him up the wall.

"You going to run away? Run back to your friends? Do you need them to fight your battles for you, coward?"

He turned to me and for once, anger smouldered in his eyes, "What did you call me?"

"Coward. Baby. Loser. Do you still sleep with a night light, Rafie? Do you have Valon read you a bedtime story?"

Rafael charged me, in a way that was reminiscent of a livid Duke Devlin. But this time, I wasn't going to end up on my back getting punched in the face. I wasn't going to be bleeding all over my clothes on the bus ride home. Because while violence didn't need to be obvious and out in the open, that didn't mean it couldn't be hard and powerful and EXPLOSIVE!

So that's what I did: I exploded. Time seemed to slow and my brain began to process a thousand things at once. I could track Rafael's punches and see through his kicks. I was on fire and smiling my demented smile, loving every second of the shocked expression on my opponents face.

Then there it was; it was the opening that Kisara had spoken of. Rafael dropped his hands just for a second, but that was all I needed. I spun on my front foot, leapt into the air, and round-housed the guy in the head.

Ha! Take that, you asshole! Revenge is sweet!

The sound of clapping broke me from my focus, "Good job, Bakura."

It was Seto Kaiba, with an approving look that seemed odd on his face. I suddenly felt very cold, as I involuntarily stepped out of the flame. I became aware that people were staring at me: Mai was grinning like a mad woman, while Marik and Mana looked on with surprised expressions on their face.

Kaiba spoke once more, "And what have you learned?"

What had I learned? I learned that I could kick total ass by leaping into the magic fire within my soul. I learned that I had incredible power at my disposal whenever I wanted it. I learned that I could break bones and collapse lungs with a single punch.

I learned today that I could probably kill someone.

Looking into Kaiba's eyes, piercing blue to demonic red. I knew he understood that I wouldn't use this power unless I absolutely needed to. What had was that famous quote? "With great power comes great responsibility." I was responsible for my own actions now. And Kaiba needed to trust us enough to teach us this magic.

That was what Combat was about. Not strength or power, but trust.

"I learned…" I paused for a second, thinking of the best thing to say, "I learned that my teachers have good advice."

Kaiba smirked, "Good enough."

I then proceeded to sleep through Illusions, earning me a tonne of homework. But hey, it was so worth it.

So yeah, I loved Combat.

* * *

_Saturday, October 29th, 2016_

It was the weekend again before I knew it. On Saturday night the whole dorm went down to the cafeteria for our last dinner together before we left. Tomorrow we would be packing our bags and PORTing back to our families and homes. So we made it the best of the time we had left.

One of the third years brought out his guitar and the next thing I knew we were all singing cheesy songs in off key voices, passing around bowls of crisps and cans of soda. Marik looked at me oddly when I called them "crisps," because apparently American call crisps chips. I believed Thwt his exact words were, "You crazy English person."

My reaction: "Fuck you, I'm Welsh!"

Marik's reaction: start chucking food at my head.

Loud music played and laugher was abundant. Even the teachers got in on it. Solomon Moto told stories of his adventures during his years in Egypt where he worked as an archaeologist. Ishizu and Mahad did some weird salsa-disco dance thing, earning wolf-whistles from the crowd (I was informed later that the two of them were going out). Pegasus was running a game of poker on one of the tables. Even Kaiba was there, though he did little more than lurk ominously off to the side and bob his head slightly to the beat of the music. He smiled a little when Kisara moved over to talk to him.

It was really fun. We could just let go of our worries, because even though tomorrow we would be heading back to a world that hated and fear us, we still had what was left of today. And as I watched Marik and Mana dancing together crazily, I realized that I would always have these people. I would always have this world to go back to whenever I wanted.

I was worth something and I was proud to be me.

Then Mai grabbed my hand and hauled me onto the dance floor with her.

"Don't be such a stiff, hun," she said, purple eyes flashing, "Have some fun!"

And to my credit, I managed to say something other then "Uuughhgahhuuuaaa."

"Bring it on, baby!" I grinned, "Bring it on."

* * *

The funny thing about that night was that I didn't realize that not a drop of alcohol had been served or even seen during the entire party. This, despite my very limited knowledge of teenage parties, was really weird.

It's because Others have very little alcohol tolerance. A single bottle of beer can get us drunk. A shot of something stronger, and we end up worshiping the porcelain god. And it screws around with our magic, too. It's like a super-hangover, except instead of a headache, the flame within your soul begins to dim and (in the worst cases) can severe an Other's connection with the Shadow Realm temporarily.

Not pretty, at all.

It feels like you're dying: like someone's cut off your arm and left you alone to bleed out. That flame is a part of us and without it we become…well, I won't say Normal. We don't become Normals. We become…Something Else. Those are the best words for it.

Something Else.

I'm not quite sure about the official "hows" and "whys" behind this phenomenon. However, I can truly say one thing: the best way to keep an Other incapacitated for long amounts of time is to get them drunk.

So, no alcohol at parties. I enjoy feeling like I'm going to live through the day, thank you very much.

* * *

_Sunday, October 30th, 2016_

"Arcelus, Aaron."

The name came from the speaker of my phone, referring to one of my fellow first years. Kaiba had activated some sort of 'announcement system' application on the device and was currently calling down students one by one to PORT out in that alley way where we arrived.

I was sitting on my bed, my backpack beside me and my sketchbook in my lap. If Marik saw me drawing, he didn't mention it. He was too absorbed in killing some character on his PSP5. The only sounds in the room were the beeps and boops of his game and the scratching of my pencil.

It was silent, but it was a comfortable silence.

I heard footsteps in the hallway. It was probably Aaron heading for the door.

"Bakura, Ryou."

I jumped slightly, even though I knew it was coming. I was leaving. I was leaving Atlantis and all my new friends. I felt as if I had swallowed Domino High's Wednesday Special after it had been left out for a few days.

I was going back there.

"Your first name is Ryou?" Marik paused his game, and looked at me, "I didn't know that."

"Don't call me Ryou," I said in a stern voice.

"Whatever."

My roommate leapt to his feet and handed me my bag, "I'll see you next month, then."

I felt a little lighter, just then. I was going to return to Atlantis in two weeks. I wasn't leaving forever.

"Definitely," I smiled.

Marik chuckled, before his eyes lit up, "Hey, give me your phone for a second."

I tossed it at him, "Why?"

He fiddled with the buttons for a few minutes, "I'm adding my number to your Contacts list. Call me if something comes up, okay." He threw his own phone at me and I returned the favour.

Something warm and fuzzy fizzled in my stomach. I extended my hand to shake his, but Marik tensed, "I don't…"

I realized my mistake, "No, it's fine. See you next month, brat."

"Later, fluffy," I closed the door behind me and walked out into the hallway. I was ambushed by Mai and Mana as I walked passed their door. We hugged and traded numbers, before I was allowed to go on my way.

As I hopped in the lift, Noah's face appeared on the screen before me, "Have a good first two weeks?"

"The best," I leaned on the wall behind me. "I never knew there were people like that in the world. I always thought that I was the wrong one."

"I bet the whole world looks different now," the program responded.

"No," I said. "It's the same as before; I'm just wearing different glasses."

The door pinged as they opened onto the extensive lobby that, two long weeks ago, I had walked through with Mana and entered a new chapter in my life. This time I wouldn't have anyone to share this moment with, but I thought I liked it better that way.

"Thank you for vis-visiting," the grainy Noah prototype said in his computerized voice. "Come again soon."

Ducking into the alleyway, I pulled out my phone one final time. Selecting the PORT application, I flicked past the KaibaCorp option until a hologram of my house appeared. It had white panelling and blue shutters.

"Activate PORT" I said half-heartedly. For a second, nothing happened. And then I fell into the blackness.

The PORT had taken me back to the location where I had originally used it. I walked up the street and used my key to unlock the front door to my house.

"I'm home," I called, though didn't expect an answer. Especially not sound of feet thundering down the stairs.

"Dad! Dad! I – oh, it's you." Amane stood at the foot of the staircase, looking slightly embarrassed at her actions.

I grinned sarcastically, "I take it you missed me then?"

"Shut up, loser," she growled. "Why did you even bother coming home? Couldn't you have just stayed at your stupid gifted school?"

"It's not stupid," my voice increased in volume, just enough to get my point across. No one was going to insult Atlantis in front of me.

"I bet your classmates are just as weird as you," my sister said. "I bet you're all just a bunch of freaks."

I almost laughed. Because it was true: all my classmates were as weird as me. We are all able to perform magic, something that Normals would never be able to do. And we were all freaks. The real world hated and feared us for our gifts. So smiled at Amane honestly, "Sister, you have no idea how right you are."

She blinked, as if trying to understand what I had just said, and I used her confusion to push passed her and head up to my room. I Summoned my sketchbook out of the black void of space in my backpack and sat down on my bed. I put pencil to paper and started to draw.

Pictures of Mai in a Combat stance and Marik eating veggie pizza flowed from my hand. I drew Mana surrounded by little lights, Kisara staring off into space, and Mako with his infectious laughter. I almost completed my picture of Rex and Weevil plotting one of their many devious plans, when the smell of supper wafted up the stairs and into my room. I realized, then, just how hungry I was.

My parents didn't even look up when I entered the kitchen and grabbed my self a plate. Chinese stir fry was on the menu tonight and I wasn't going to pass this up. Gathering up the leftovers in the bottom of the pot, sadness and longing seemed to overcome me. I missed the cafeteria at Atlantis, with its BLTs and massive pasta suppers.

Only two weeks, I told my self. I only needed to last two more weeks and then I could go back. It helped a little.

But the food tasted dry in my mouth; the atmosphere at the table was suffocating. I left as soon as I could, feeling a little ill. Curling up on my bed, I pulled my sketchbook to my chest and wished that I could go back to Atlantis. Back to where I had friends and people liked me. Back to where I wasn't weird, wasn't a freak and I was understood. Back to where it was ordinary to create illusions and summon monsters.

On my mobile, this house that I was in now was labelled as home. But this wasn't my home; it never had been and never will be.

Atlantis was my home.

And I wanted to go back there so bad.

* * *

_"Pack my bags. We're leaving."_

_The order came quite suddenly one day; she had just come out of a meeting with her father and his council. I had been unable to sneak in, so I had no idea what was going on._

_This was what happened to slaves who didn't listen in on their masters. They did things later without you being able to understand._

_I didn't move._

_"I gave you an order," she instructed again, drawing herself up to her full short-despite-being-thirteen year old height. "Pack my bags."_

_"I can't go anywhere, wench," I spat back at her, indicating to the choke collar around my neck. "So what do you mean 'We're leaving.'"_

_She blinked, obviously not expecting that answer, "I will have it fixed so that you may leave the palace grounds later, then," she shoved a leather poach into my hands. "Pack."_

_I scowled, but started to stuff her clothing into the bag, not caring if it came out creased and wrinkled. She moved over to her weapons rack and pulled her bow and quiver from the wall. I panicked._

_"What are you doing with that?" I wished, not for the first time, that I had a knife on me for protection. But slaves weren't allowed to have weapons, the penalty for that being fifteen lashes. If they found out that I could use god-power, I was dead. No amount of her bargaining with her father would save me from execution._

_"We just received word of a bandit attack in one of the southern villages," she explained. "I am going to lead the Third Company of the army to stop them before they get too close to the capital."_

_I blanched. Battle. She was taking me out to a battle, a place where there was blood and death and mangled body parts rotting in the mud. It was the place where my family died._

_She pulled out her knife and began to sharpen the edge. I hated her for being so calm then. I hated all those who were prepared to take lives for the sake of honour or glory or just for fun. The bastards that killed my parents and my sister didn't even steal anything afterwards. They had done it because they could. Their blood had ran in the streets, staining it red like the kilt of her blade._

_"Isn't that just like you royals," I sneered. She didn't even look up, "All you care about is your glory. Is that why you're doing this? To look good in front of your father?"_

_She tensed, "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_"Liar, you know exactly what I'm talking about," damn royals, I hated them. They always came first before the people who really mattered, "You'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to hear the palace gossip about you."_

_"Stop it," she muttered._

_I continued on, "There are rumours put you in bed with half the court. You've got no reputation; no man is going to want to marry a slut like you. You think that if you become the son your father never had he'll love you? You think that going into battle will change anything?"_

_"SHUT UP, SLAVE!" The next thing I knew, I was backed against the wall and had a knife to my throat. Her eyes blazed with anger and magic, and within them I saw my death._

_"If you're going to kill me, hurry up and do it," I whispered, sounding stronger than I felt. "I've wanted to die ever since you brought me here."_

_For a moment, I honestly thought she'd do it. I thought that she'd slit my throat and that my world would end. But the moment faded, and the blade was removed. She backed off slightly before fixing me with another hateful gaze._

_"Don't talk to me about things that you do not know of," she spoke in a low and deadly voice, the voice of a soldier and a killer. "Pack my bags. Now."_

_I spit on the floor in front of her, but resumed my work. She turned her back to me and resumed her weapons check. I didn't look at her again until I finished._

_But as we walked towards the military barracks in silence, I noticed that her eyes were red and her cheeks were a little wet. Her back was slightly hunched over, as if she was trying to hide herself in her own skin._

_And I realized that I had never seen Warrior Shaman Princess look so small before._

* * *

_Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016_

I wanted to shoot my self in the foot. I never realized just how boring and dull Domino High was before. Listening to the teachers' voices for any length of time was like rubbing your forehead on a cheese grader. Their lessons weren't interesting, they didn't even try to keep your attention, and the worst part was that Wheeler was hurling spit balls at the back of my head to amuse his buddy Taylor! Part of me just wanted to leap across the desks and strangle him.

But no, Solomon Moto had specifically said that while we were free to practice magic during the in-between weeks at our Normal schools, we were responsible for whatever consequences occurred because of our actions. Blah-blah-blah. Arg!

Another glob of saliva and paper landed in my hair, and a few girlish giggles erupted from behind me. My knuckles went white as I gripped the edge of my desk. Just a little longer, just bear with it a little longer.

The bell rang and I grabbed my bag, heading towards the washroom to wash the gunk out of my hair before my next class. I made it halfway down the hallway before someone stuck their leg out and tripped me. Two weeks of training with Seto Kaiba kicked in and I used my hands to brace my self before I fell.

"Oops. Sorry, I didn't see you there," I looked up to see Tea Gardner, who's face was plastered with make up and showed that she was anything but apologetic. Pretty blue eyes and tight fitting clothes made her ideal girlfriend material to whoever her flavour of the week was when it came to boys. She was hot, but right now, I had never seen someone so ugly.

Her little pack of girlfriends cackled at my expense. I saw Amane among them; strangely, she wasn't laughing with the rest. She looked almost…conflicted? No, I refused to believe that reality. I hated her. She left me alone.

I picked my self up of the floor and headed to the loo without any more incidents. I pulled the spit balls from my hair, knowing full well that I would be late for my next class now and most likely get a detention. Fuck this, I was skipping. It was the last period; my English teacher won't notice me missing anyways. The old lady was as blind as a bat half the time.

I jogged to my locker on the second floor. Taking hold of the lock I entered my code, "25…spin…14…spin…spin…43 – open."

I grabbed my jacket, whipping around to face the nearest exit. Something fluttered to the ground behind me: a note written on yellow lined paper. I picked it up and read it.

"GO KILL YOURSELF, YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT. NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE!"

I crumbled it up and tossed in into the rubbish bin. And to make me feel better, I punched the wall.

Pain tore up my arm and I realized I would have another bruise to practice on later. I hated this - this whole goddamn school. All the people were such plastics; they didn't even care about the real things in life. I knew things that they didn't even dream of. I knew about magic, I could do things that they would never be able to understand.

I wasn't some worthless piece of shit. I hated them, I hated them, I hated –

"Hello."

It was a girl's voice, young and shy. I turned and saw Serenity, Joey Wheeler's little sister. She was small and slight, with long auburn hair and wide brown eyes. She sifted back and forth nervously, like some sort of scared animal.

I enjoyed the look of fear in her brother's eyes, but in Serenity's it only made me feel bad. She just looked kind of pathetic standing there.

"What do you want?" I growled, really not in the mood.

She swallowed something, averting her eyes, "Um…I wanted to say…I wanted to…"

"If you're not going talk in full sentences, don't bother talking at all," I snapped. She flinched, moving as if I was going to hit her. I grimaced, "Sorry."

Serenity relaxed sort of, "I wanted to apologise for Duke…and for the note."

My eyes narrowed, "He wrote that?"

"No," she shook her head. "He's sorry for the fight. He really felt bad about it afterwards. And I know who wrote that note."

"It doesn't matter," I said,. "It's nothing new."

"But…"

"Just drop it, okay?" I yelled, "What does it matter to you?"

Serenity raised her eyes from the floor and focused them on me. I could see the fear in them, see how the Ward was affecting her and telling her to run. But she was standing here anyways. She was much braver than her brother, that's for sure.

"You really hate it here, don't you?" She muttered, "I think the only time I've ever seen you smile was two Fridays ago, when you left."

I blinked, "What the…?"

"You're terrifying," Serenity continued. "You scare the people here half to death sometimes. But…but you're still human. You don't deserve that stuff." She gestured to the rubbish bin.

"I don't try to be scary," I explained. "It just…happens, you know? It's the way I am."

She nodded, "Tea and Tristan. They did it; they wrote that note."

I smiled, though there was no happiness or humour in it, "Like I said: it's nothing new."

The girl twisted the bottom of her shirt in her hands, "I gotta go."

"You do that," I said. She turned and ran down the hallway. I thought of something just then, "You said that you were apologizing for Devlin. Are you speaking to him again?"

She stopped and spun around, "Yes. He said something a couple weeks ago about coming to terms about how he really felt."

I nodded, "Do you love him?"

"I – I don't know…what you're talking about!" Serenity said, blushing heavily.

I smirked crookedly, "Then I wish you good luck."

I turned and headed out the doors towards my bus stop, resolving that the next day I would wear my Atlantis t-shirt.

I wasn't going to hide who I was anymore.

* * *

**I think I just wrote two and a half weeks in a single chapter.**

**On a completely different note, hello again. I'd like to thank all those who reviewed for the last chapter: Coolaloo, EgyptianSoul.88, xxdewdropsxx, and Akikee. Two thumbs up to all of you.**

**Sorry that I got this to you so late. I've had some computer troubles. However, I'm working completely off of Google Docs now. Thank you Markus for introducing me to Gmail!**

**Markus is my inspiration and editor, for those of you who don't know. He's the coolest Americans I know.**

**Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I made you all some shortbread,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	8. The Girl of My Dreams

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Girl Of My Dreams**

_Friday, November 11th, 2016_

The two weeks between my visits to Atlantis were agonisingly slow. The days seemed to be stretched extra long and the nights lasted forever. The only bright patches I had occurred when I got home and locked myself in my room. There I practiced my magic, bouncing illusionary balls of light off my walls and talking to Sangan in my head. I'd started running back to my house, powering my legs with Combat magic. I could even beat my sister back and she got a ride with some of her friends.

But as my final day at Domino High came to a close, it seemed as if time had decided to give me a break. The day was over before I knew it and I was racing home, practically flying past the people along the sidewalks. I zoomed up the stairs and into my room.

Throwing my bag to the ground, I immediately conjured up my illusionary stars. They twinkled around my room, changing colour from red to blue, from green to yellow, to all the shades of the rainbow. I opened up my laptop and began to read ahead on the material that I would be learning in the next few weeks. I tried to hold the spell for as long as I could, but was interrupted by the obnoxious ding-dong of the doorbell.

The little lights went out one by one and the doorbell rang again. Who the hell was at the door? My family all definitely had keys.

I stocked downstairs, determined to find out the identity of the person who dared disturb me when I was practicing my magic. The bastard was going to –

"Amane?"

My sister was at the door. Her arm was slung over Duke Devlin's shoulder as he supported her weight. Joey Wheeler and Tea Gardner were behind them with what looked like her rucksack.

"Move out of the way, loser," Gardner cried as she pushed me out of her way. Her high-healed boots clicked on the hardwood floor. She turned to my sister and spoke in a sweet tone, "I'm going to go put your back up in your room, okay?"

Amane nodded as Devlin helped her limp into the living room. Wheeler bumped into me as he passed, an arrogant sneer on his face. He wasn't so full of himself before when I scared the pants off of him in the graveyard.

I rushed into the room to see Amane carefully lowering herself onto one of the chairs. Wheeler hovered over her protectively.

"Are you okay?" He asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," she responded. "We were playing soccer during gym class and I tripped. I was fine for a while, just now…" she trailed off and tried to rotate her ankle. She winced and hissed in pain.

Gardner reappeared from upstairs, completely ignoring my presence as she entered the living room, "Do you think we should, like, go the hospital or something? You look really hurt."

"I want to wait until my parents come home," Amane answered.

"You've probably got a sprained ankle," I said, leaning against the door frame as I made myself known. The four of them turned to me.

"Who the hell asked you, freak?" Wheeler growled.

"Does it matter?" I answered calmly. "Amane's sprained her ankle; she probably did it when she fell. Tore her ligaments, or something like that." I remembered learning this in Health class a few years ago.

Amane looked from me to the people surrounding her, "Do any of you know how to treat something like that?"

I blinked, surprised. She believed me?

Gardner eyes widened, "I remember that class. I skipped it to go make-out with what's-his-face. You know, the guy with the red hair."

I rolled my eyes. How typical off her, not even being able to recall the guy's name.

Devlin and Wheeler were shaking their heads. Amane cringed again, and I bit my lip. I could probably do something. At the very least, I could stop the bruising and help with the 'ouch' factor. But these people were Normals; they had made my life a living hell for the past four years. These were the people that lied and swore at me. They put notes in my locker, picked fights with me, and made me honestly hate my self.

"A life is a life, and Normals are clearly the dominate population on this earth. The chances of you not having to treat one in your lifetime are slim to none." That was what Ishizu told me during our first lesson. And it was in that class that I realized my magic could help people. Maybe…maybe if I did this, they wouldn't be so afraid.

"I..." I started to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I tried again, "I know how to treat a sprained ankle."

Wheeler's jaw dropped, "Did you just say what I think you said, limey? You think we're just going to let you whip out one of your freaky satanic rituals disguised as a cure?"

He really amazed me with his stupidity sometimes, "Well since I'm the only one here that actually paid attention during that First Aid class we had, yeah I think you will."

Wheeler looked ready to punch me, but I looked him dead in the eye. Whatever he saw in those demonic red irises of mine made him back off. I glanced over at Devlin. He swallowed hard, and gave me a nod. I terrified him, like I terrified them all, but even so he trusted me to do this. And that was enough for me.

"Gardner," I growled in my deep voice, leaving no room for argument. "Go upstairs and get a tenser-bandage. They're in the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom."

The girl hesitated for a second before rushing upstairs. Whether it was my tone that made her go or her concern for my sister, I really didn't care.

"Wheeler," this time I addressed the jock. "Go into the kitchen and make up an ice pack. Bring over a dish cloth as well."

As Wheeler ran off, I turned to Devlin, "We're going to have to move her over to the couch. Grab an arm, will you?"

I reached out to Amane, intent on helping her up. She slapped my hand away, "Don't touch me!"

"I'm trying to help you, dumbass," I yelled. "Stop being such an idiot; you're not getting anywhere without my help."

Apparently, Amane had other ideas. She tried to push herself up and hobble across the room. She got about three feet before she fell forward, yelping in pain. I grabbed her before she hit the ground.

"Moron," I told her. "Would it kill you to trust me for once?"

She punched me in the chest, though it was a half-hearted attempt at violence.

With Devlin's help, we moved my sister over to the couch. I propped up her foot on the arm rest. "Remember RICE," the voice of our gym teacher filtered into my mind, "Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevate."

"I'm going to have to take off your shoe," I told Amane. "So it's gonna hurt."

I was as careful as I could, but I still hurt her. "Sorry…sorry," I apologized. "But I did warn you."

Gardner returned with the bandage and I wrapped it around Amane's foot. I applied some Medicine magic to the bruises. They disappeared as I ran my fingers over them.

As Wheeler came back with the ice pack, Devlin snatched it from him and wrapped the towel around it. I laid it on Amane's foot.

"Twenty minutes on. Twenty minutes off. Any more, and it will do more bad then good," I explained. "When mom and dad get back, they'll probably take you to the hospital." I touched her foot one more time, sinking my Medicine magic into her injures to take care of the pain.

I turned to leave, but Amane stopped me, "How the hell did you do that?"

"I told you, I paid attention in that class we had," I answered.

"Not that," she replied. "My foot doesn't hurt at all anymore. All that stuff you did – the ice and the bandages and crap – it doesn't make the pain go away that fast."

My eyes narrowed. What the hell was she playing at?

"I just did what I was taught to do," I said. "Nothing more, nothing less."

And I wasn't lying, really. It was just telling the selective truth. Yeah, that was it.

"What did you do, Ryou? What did you do to my foot?"

My heart stopped. Ryou. Amane called me Ryou. My name…she called me by my name. Ryou – not freak or loser – but Ryou.

For one horrifying moment, I considered telling her everything. That I was an Other; that every month I went off to a school where I learned how to perform magic. That had healed the bruises on her ankle using that power and that I was anything but Normal.

But Wheeler, Devlin, and Gardner were still here. They were staring at me, probably with terror in their eyes and fright in their souls. I couldn't say anything to them. I couldn't tell them who I was.

Even after healing my sister, I was still alone.

"Don't call me Ryou," I said, repeating words that by now had become habit. But there was no feeling behind it. Ryou…she called me Ryou.

I ran up the stairs, leaving my sister and her friends behind. I slammed my door behind me and threw myself upon my bed.

Ryou.

Damn it, of all the horrible and cruel things that Amane had done to me before, this was top of the list. She had acknowledged me, called me by my name, and given me what I had wanted all along. And now that I had it, all I wanted to do was give it back.

Ryou.

She called me Ryou.

Damn it all to hell.

* * *

_Sunday, November 13th, 2016_

I spent the rest of my weekend trying to avoid my sister and her constant questioning. Our parents had taken her to the doctor when they got home on Friday and got her a pair of crutches to walk on. Apparently, the doctor hadn't seen anything like her ankle before. It should have been swollen and purple when he got to it. If it wasn't for the fact that Amane couldn't put her weight on it, he never would have guessed that it was sprained.

Sadly, this only increased the amount of inquiry that I had to face. I hung out in the park mostly, since it was far enough from home and mom wasn't going to let Amane out of her sight until school started. They didn't care about what I did anyways. I could probably die in my sleep and my parents would only notice when the smell of rotten corpse got too much.

However, today was different because today I was going back to Atlantis. Today I was going to return to the world of Others and, hopefully this time, learn some Necromancy. Today I was going to see Marik, Mai, and Mana. Today…I had to get passed my sister who was currently blocking the front door with her body.

"Get out of my way, bitch," I snapped, trying to get around her. "I've got to go. Move!"

"Not until you answer my question!" Amane yelled.

I snarled, "What question? What the fuck do you want with me?"

"What did you do to my foot?" She jabbed me in the knee with one of her crutches, "The doctor said –"

"The doctor said what? What did he say, Amane?" I just wanted to leave, couldn't she ask me this later, "That you're foot is going to be fine in a few days. That you're healing ahead of schedule. That you can go back to making my life miserable for your own shits and giggles!"

She looked like I had slapped her. It made me feel queasy. "Moron, would it kill you to trust me for once?" I repeated the words I had said to her a few days ago, "I didn't do anything bad."

At that moment, Noah decided to turn the alarm on my phone on, alerting me to the fact that I was running late. Amane stared at me, "Since when did you have a cell phone?"

I ducked around her and through the door. Jumping into the fire within me, I bolted up the street as fast as I could. I heard Amane howl in frustration behind me, but I didn't turn back. By the time that I returned here in two weeks, she will have moved on to giving me the silent treatment.

Ducking in between the two strip malls, I opened the PORT application and punched in the KaibaCorp location. Nothing happened for that single instant in time, and then –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

I managed to catch myself before I fell on the concrete this time. Landing in a crouch, I picked my self up and headed towards Atlantis.

I met up with Mako in the lift: he had arrived moments before and held the doors open for me.

He gripped my shoulder, "How are you, man? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"As well as can be expected," I answered.

"Is your family giving you a rough time?" He asked.

I grimaced, "I've been trying to be nicer, now that I know that it's the Ward making them act the way they do. It's just…I seem to be making things worse."

Mako nodded, "I know what you mean."

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, not really knowing how to phrase what I wanted to say. He continued on, answering my unspoken question in the process.

"I never knew my mom, and dad and I weren't close at all. During my first year here, I tried to get him to warm up to me."

"Did it work?" I asked, trying to get him to give me some ideas to work on my own family.

"Dunno," Mako replied. "He went out on his fishing boat last year and got caught in a storm. His body washed up on shore a few days later."

"Oh," I didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."

The lift pinged and the doors opened up. Mako smiled humourlessly, "Don't worry. Like I said, we weren't close."

That didn't mean that he didn't feel anything, I wanted to shout at him as he walked towards his dorm. That didn't mean that he didn't miss his father.

I walked through the hallway towards my room, waving hello to people I knew as I passed. Strings, who was mute, a talented Enchanter, and friend of Mako's, found me at my door. He spoke in my mind and told me that he had seen Marik in the cafeteria with a brown-haired girl. I thanked him and entered the room.

All I did was drop my rucksack on my bed and grab a Pepsi from the mini-fridge, before heading to the cafeteria down the hall. Noise filtered from the open doors and I rushed in.

Mana spotted me first, jumping up and waving at me. Surrounding her was Mai and Marik, who smiled upon seeing me. I spotted Kaiba and Kisara in the corner, Rafeal and his friends in the back, and even Rex and Weevil at the table beside me.

I grinned wildly. I had finally come home.

* * *

_Monday, November 14th, 2016_

"You're choice in weapon," Seto Kaiba paced in front of a desk that had appeared in the middle of our Combat class, "is tailored specifically to your magical needs. If you are naturally a short range fighter, you will be led towards a sword or a knife or a club. Long range fighters might choose a gun or a bow. It doesn't matter how ancient your weapon is, it is how well you master it. Choose carefully and trust your gut. Trust your magic to lead you to the right weapon for you."

The first years moved forward with me towards the tables. On them lay a variety lethal looking instruments. Knives and daggers where on one end, which shifted into swords, whips, staffs, and bows. At the very end were the more modern weapons: pistols, shotguns, and sniper rifles.

I dove into my mind and leapt into the fire. "Take me to it," I asked, "Take me to the weapon that I can use."

My feet started moving.

It was hard to describe what it felt when magic possessed you. You felt like you still had control over your actions, but there was something in the back of your mind telling you to do this, or do that. It wasn't a voice; it was more of a feeling then anything else. And it urged me forward, towards the left end of the tables.

A row of knives were in front of me, shining blades gleaming in the artificial light. I had always liked knives; they were effortless to hide and light to wield. Quick, easy, and simple; my kind of weapon.

I picked a few up to test their weights. Some of them looked like they were from a military excess store. They were wicked sharp and dangerous. Others were switchblades, hiding the deadly metal within the handles. Some looked like they were out of American Civil War museums, more decorative then dangerous.

But only one really caught my eye. Now that I had a closer look at it, the red hilted knife that had been hanging on the wall in my first Combat class was positively ancient. The blade itself was not made of metal, but sharpened stone, the handle wooden and wrapped in red cloth. It was well loved and used, its previous owner had cared for it enough to charm it never to dull or break.

Now, how did I know that?

But there was something else wrong with the knife. It was familiar; I knew that I had seen it before, somewhere. But where…?

My stomach flip-flopped. I had seen this knife in my dreams.

The Mayan girl: when she told me – no, not me…the slave boy who wasn't me, but was at the same time – about the bandit attacks had pulled out this very knife. She had held it to my neck in a fit of rage, threatening me with death. But how was that knife in my hands right now? What was going on?

"If you're done, Bakura," Kaiba's sarcastic voice came from behind me. "I have a lesson to teach."

I hurried back to where the rest of the first years were. Mana appeared to have chosen a police baton, or something like that. In her hands, it looked almost like a black magic wand.

"Your weapon will become an extension of you," Kaiba continued. "I don't ever want to see you without it. Go see what you can do with it; leap into the flame and let it guide you as you learn, until the movements you make become instinctive."

I found a spot on a mat, closer to Marik then I was to Rafael and his giant double-bladed axe of death. Marik was at the firing range, shooting something (I didn't know what they were, but they were definitely not bullets) out of a pair of handguns. I held out my stone knife and summoned my Combat magic.

The first thing that I noticed was the hollow feeling at the end of my hand. I pushed the fire that was running through my body towards that feeling, enveloping it with my presence. "Show me," I asked. "Show me what to do."

My body moved again, a quick jab forward with my knife hand. And then…nothing. I waited for a minute before realizing that I was supposed to repeat the action consciously. I quickly extended my hand, but the speed was wrong and the angle of the blade too low. My body repeated the correct move, and I followed it, making the proper adjustments.

Then it was a slash, from the bottom right to top left. Stabs and cuts and slices followed afterwards. Soon it felt like I was dancing, the red hilted knife was my partner and we duelled against our invisible opponent. I added in the kicks and punches we learned during the previous weeks; leg sweeps and arm locks found their way in as well.

It was the end of class before I knew it. I was red faced and dripping with sweat, but happy with what I had accomplished. I needed practice, but that could come later.

I stared down at the stone knife. Whether or not it was from my dreams, I had a feeling that we would get along famously.

"Keep your weapon on you at all times," barked Kaiba as we walked out of the classroom. "If you don't want to store it in your backpack, find a way to strap it to your person."

The next time I was in Morphing, I vowed, I was making a holster for this.

So I managed to Summon Sangan today.

He looked like a fuzzy pumpkin, all orange and hairy with three yellow eyes that blinked at different times. His stubby green limbs sported wicked claws and his mouth had three rows of sharp teeth. I found him adorable. Mai thought I was insane. I told her the feeling was mutual.

The four of us sat in the cafeteria together, discussing Mai's time with her training master (who spent more time learning from her then actually teaching), when Noah appeared on the screen in the centre of the room. Conversation came to a halt; it was very rare for Noah to actually appear anywhere other then our tablets and mobiles.

"Seto," the program said. "You're…uh…guest is here. She's in the stairwell now."

Kaiba rose to his feet and nodded to Noah. The screen flickered back to ZTV News as the green haired boy left it. The CEO strutted across the floor and out the door.

I blinked, "…the hell was that?"

Marik shrugged before turning back to picking out bits of meat from his stir fry dinner, "Probably something to do with KaibaCorp. He has to keep the business running somehow, right?" He offered me the strips of beef on the side of his plate, "You want any?"

His answer satisfied my curiosity, and we returned to our previous conversation. Gulping down the offered meat, I busied my self by stuffing my face with the food that I had been craving ever since I got here.

And the Kaiba returned, but he wasn't alone. And…oh my god…

It took Mana's slap to my back for me to realize that I was choking. I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be true.

It was her.

She was a few years older then how she appeared in my dreams, landing somewhere around seventeen or eighteen. Her multi-coloured hair was longer, tied up high in an explosively wild ponytail. She wore a black t-shirt and pair of camouflaged-pattern pants. She was short for her age, but her maroon eyes still carried a weight of someone who was older than they looked.

But the resemblance was undeniable: walking next to Seto Kaiba was the girl of my dreams. Literally, of course. Not in some cheesy romantic way.

"Holy shit," cursed Marik. "It's her. It's actually her."

It wasn't until much later that night that I had the courage to enquire about what he meant.

"How do you know her, Marik?" I asked from my bed. The bunk above me creaked as Marik rolled over.

"I don't actually know her," he explained. "But I know of her. Almost every Other does. Or at least, the one's I've talked to do."

"But who is she? Why is she here?" I wanted to know why things from my dreams were walking out into my life.

Marik paused, before answering, "I know her name is Atem. I don't know her last name, or if she even has one. Remember that we learn our history through dreams? Well, every two hundred years or so, she pops up looking the same as she does now. And whenever she does, something big always happens."

"I…I don't understand," I really wish he'd stop being so vague with his explanations. "How can she exist throughout history and not age a day?"

"Because she's cursed, Bakura," Marik looked down from his bunk and stared me in the eye. "Atem committed a terrible crime and was cursed with immortality because of it. I haven't got a clue what the hell she did, but it would have to be pretty bad with that kind of punishment."

He took a deep breath and continued, "Mai told you once that there was only one person that knew the events before the Cut Off: Atem is that person. The only reason why she knows that stuff is because she was born before it occurred."

I mind was racing trying to process the information that Marik had just told me, "But that was," I did some mental math, "twelve hundred years ago."

"Yeah," he said. "Her crime was so great that for twelve hundred years, magic hasn't let up on her sentence. And on top of that, she's had a whole lot of time to practice her powers. Bakura, she's one of the most powerful Others in the history of the world."

"But why is she here, then?" This was way too much, "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know," Marik muttered, his face disappearing as he righted himself on his bed. "But I have the feeling that everything is going to change now."

I tried not to sleep that night, afraid of what would happen if I fell entered my dreams. Because Marik was wrong: there was one other person who knew of events before the Cut Off: me.

Because I dreamed of a young Atem; I dreamed of an Atem before she stopped aging. Somehow, I took the place of a person that she knew when I went to sleep. Apparently I shared some sort of connection with her – a criminal cursed never to age – and that scared me half to death.

Who the hell was she? And for that matter, who the hell was I?

* * *

Atem is the last Mayan from the Classical Age on the face of the earth.

Born in the year 882 (according to the Gregorian calendar) to King Acalan and Queen Yaretzi of Tikal, she was a miracle child and a curse all rolled up into one. King Acalan was all but barren and had been unable to father a child for the first twenty years of his reign. When he was notified that his wife was pregnant, it seemed as if the gods had answered his prayers. But Atem was supposed to be a boy and become the crown prince. Imagine the shock when the Healer Shaman announced, "It's a girl!"

And then her hair started to grow out. The originally black 'peach-fuzz' that she had been born with started to turn red at the ends. Gold streaked from her forehead, framing her face and zipping down the back and sides of her head. Queen Yaretzi screamed that Atem was a demon-child and refused to go near her. Eventually, the Queen took her own life to get away from her daughter. Atem was five years old at the time.

Her hair is the colour it is because of how she was born. She has incredible magical abilities; I bet that if someone were to look into her Soul Room, they wouldn't find a camp fire sized flame, but a raging inferno. People have described Seto Kaiba and Solomon Moto as geniuses, but Atem is the one who taught them everything they know. She is potential incarnate.

Unfortunately, her father didn't see it that way. He blamed her for his wife's death and inadvertently started the rumour that Atem was cursed.

Convinced that she was wrong, Atem disguised herself and ran away into the Lower City of Tikal. She lasted three days before a market stall fell on top of her. She was rescued by a ghost-boy with pale skin and white hair.

"You stupid crazy girl," the ghost-boy told her, demonic red eyes blazing. "Watch where you're going. I wouldn't be around to save you next time."

As palace guards dragged her back home afterwards, Atem promised one day to pay that boy back for saving her life. She followed all the news from the city, hoping to hear something about white hair and pale skin.

And so Atem learned about the child-thief that she discovered was named Bakura.

* * *

**Happy New Year!**

**I know I'm a little late, but better late than never, eh?**

**I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed: Blue September, Coolaloo, xxdewdropsxx, EgyptianSoul.88, Akikee, and melvin the magician. You guys are awesome!**

**So I've finally introduced Atem. She is, of course, the leading lady of this story, but don't expect any romance soon. I want to take their relationship slowly, not rush into it head first. It'll take a _while_ for anything to happen and an even longer time than that for them to get together.**

**In other news, I've drawn some pictures of Atem. If you want to check them out, the link is on my profile.**

**If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**Thanks and enjoy the muffins!**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	9. Okay, Bad Example

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Okay, Bad Example**

_The soldiers traveled up front on Demons, armed to the teeth with sharpened stone blades and other deadly weapons. She rode a two headed monster with horns, claws, feathered wings, and a snake for a tail. With her bow on her back, wind flowing through her hair and the aura of war all around, she actually looked like a respectable warrior for once._

_I travelled with the supplies, holed up amongst the food, tents, and medical supplies. Slaves like me were carried as cargo, no one cared if we lived or died on this trip._

_I stole a knife from the kitchens before we set out. It's made of stone and dulls easily. I wished I had something like her knife; before we left she put a spell on it. Now it will never chip or brake no matter how long she used it._

_We reached the first burned out village after two days of travel. The people there were desperate for help and welcomed us with open arms. We stayed in that burned out village, rebuilding houses and burying the dead._

_The only good thing about this whole trip is that I can practice some of my god power. There were enough dead spirits haunting the village, so every so often I released one into the afterlife. They would find there way into Tamoanchan, I just knew it._

_Sometimes though, I tried to raise the spirits and give them physical form. As I talked to them, I asked if I could practice my talents on them. They used that time they had amongst the living to say final good-byes or do deeds they had left unfinished. Then I waved my hand and sent them off to enter the afterlife._

_The spirit-child in front of me was a little girl, not much older then an infant. She had been shot with an arrow as her family escaped their burning house. She sat crying at my feet, screaming for her mother and father to come find her. I felt horrible._

_"Shhhhh. Shhhhh," I tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you. It's going to be alright."_

_I laid a hand on her transparent shoulder. She looked up at me, surprised that I could see and touch her. I smiled, "Hello there, little one. My name is Bakura."_

_The girl nodded, eyes wide with wonder and hope. "Mama," she spoke softly. "Where's mama?"_

_I swallowed something hard. I had found what remained of the bodies of her parents not too far away from here. I had already released their souls into the afterlife._

_"I can take you to her," I told her. "if you want me to."_

_She nodded and I summoned up my god power. The whites of my eyes turned demonic red with the power of my soul and I spoke in the language of the Ancient Ones._

_"Exsisto procul pacis," the tongue of the Ones-Who-Had-Come-Before brought me power. "Be at peace."_

_The girl's eyes closed, looking as if she had gone to sleep. Her soul shown for one short moment before red fire consumed her. She faded away with my god power._

_My eyes returned to normal as my spell ended. I touched the spot were the girl once sat, "I hope you are at peace now."_

_There was a gasp behind me and I spun around. The bushes behind me moved in a way that had nothing to do with the wind. I panicked: someone had seen me use god power. I raced back to camp, looking amongst the soldiers in hopes of finding who ever that person was. I looked for anything: a weird glance, a glare, a knife to my back._

_"Where have you been?" I turned around and came face to face with the princess. She glared, "I've been looking all over for you. Go collect some fire wood for tonight and some water from the stream. The well nearby has disease in it."_

_I wanted to kill her. Someone had discovered that I could use god power and, damn her, she wanted me to get fucking firewood? I had to find out who saw me and make it so that they never spoke again._

_"Fine," I growled, intent on getting her stupid order done as quickly as possible. "I'll get your stupid firewood." I stalked off in the direction of the river._

_"Is it getting too much?" Her question stopped me in my tracks. What was she talking about this time?_

_"I understand if the death and carnage is getting to you," she continued. "If you need to take a break or get some air, you can."_

_My eyes widened. Where had this come from? Why was the princess suddenly trying to be nice? Nobles and royals weren't nice; they stomped on the people beneath them and laughed at their misery. They only cared about their own wealth and power._

_So why was she doing this?_

_I stared at her openly, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. She stood before me, dressed in the clothing of a Warrior Shaman. There was nothing other than a strip of cloth across her chest to identify her as anything other then male. Her hair was cropped short, just beneath her ears, and her eyes were the colour of dried blood._

_And yet despite all her royal upbringings and status, the girl who stood before me now looked like the child I had rescued from that collapsed stall in the market place all those years ago. She gazed at me with eyes filled with emotion – confusion, fear, anger, and strangely enough, amazement – as she shifted from side to side awkwardly. She bit her lip and stared, waiting for an answer._

_I didn't have one; the dead had never bothered me, as I saw their spirits as clearly as I saw the living. They only left me when I let them leave me, when I helped them to move on._

_I took a step away from her, confused and frightened by what she was giving me: a way to say 'no,' a way to become an equal with her._

_"You don't…you don't have to hide anything from me, Bakura," she spoke softly. "I understand what you're going through."_

_That was what did it; I turned and ran towards the river. She knew my name, a name that I had once shouted with pride during my youth as I mocked the people I stole from and wreaked havoc in the capital city of Tikal. She knew my name, something that I hadn't heard since the day of my arrest._

_I ran as fast as my legs could take me, pumping magic into my limbs to get me to move faster. I didn't care if anyone saw me; I just wanted to get away from her and those kind eyes that should never have been on her face._

_It was only afterwards that I wondered if the princess was actually talking about the burned out village with bodies in the streets when she uttered those final words._

* * *

_Tuesday, November 15th, 2016_

I wanted to stab Pegasus. Really, I wanted to kill him. The bastard was fucking getting off on my misery in his classroom. I couldn't do Enchantment, like, at all. And he knew that, damn it!

"Now-now, Ryou-boy, can't you try a bit harder. I've met Normals with better mental shields then you," Pegasus smiled mockingly. "Just a little effort! Pretty-please."

Don't call me Ryou, you bastard.

And somehow, I knew that he was digging around in my mind, seeing every torture that I wanted to inflict on him. He was laughing at me for it! Arg!

And don't call me Ryou, damn it. Only my family calls me Ryou.

Marik twitched beside me, and prodded my mind gently to ask for permission to speak telepathically. I nodded.

"I know you're pissed," my roommate's lips never moved, but I knew what he was saying. "But just try again. I'm sure you'll get it some day."

I snarled at him, for Marik knew full well that it was hopeless. Nothing that I was trying was working.

There was a knock on the door at the back of the class. Heads turned towards it with intrigue as it opened. My eyes widened, "Shit."

I ducked behind Mana as Atem walked into the room. She glanced around the classroom with a blank look on her face. Pegasus looked as if he had swallowed something sour.

"You," the man growled. "What are you doing here?"

The expression on Atem's face gave nothing away, "The same thing you are: teaching."

"You can't possibly expect me to believe that they're letting you near children these days," Pegasus sputtered.

"Believe what you want," a smirk graced her lips. "Though I can't believe you're still bitter that I beat you at your own game."

Pegasus looked livid, "You never beat me. You must have cheated somehow. I never – "

"Lose. Yes, yes. I've heard it before," Atem began to walk amongst the tables of students towards the front before coming face-to-face with the casino owner. It was almost a comical sight; Pegasus loomed over the girl by at least a foot and a half, and yet it was clear how held the power in the room. Just a hint: it wasn't Pegasus.

"You are the cheat, Maxamillion Pegasus," Atem began, maroon eyes sharp and accusing. "You swindle people out of their money using Enchantment. You look at the cards they have in their hands and make your bets based on that. You aren't the miracle poker player you pretend to be in your casinos. And it just ticks you off that you weren't able to crack the mental shields of someone like me. I won, you lost. Now back off."

He did, very quickly.

The room was silent. All eyes were trained on the girl at the front of the room. Dressed today in a two-sizes-too-big shirt and a pair of track pants that hung long over her bare feet, it was difficult to imagine her as the girl from my dreams or the immortal that Marik had described to me last night. She looked like someone from Domino High School, only with crazier hair.

Her eyes flicked around the room, surveying each table before moving on. I hid myself from her gaze behind Mana, occasionally glancing out to peak at her.

She smiled slightly at the class, "I was told that Atlantis has been graced with the presence of a Necromancer this year, and that he would be in this class."

My heart skipped a beat. Me? She wanted to talk to me? This wasn't good.

One by one, the heads of my classmates turned towards where I was hiding. Soon, everyone was staring at me and expecting me to make a move. I wanted to run out the door and hide forever. But slowly, I stood up and faced her. I didn't know what I was expecting her to do. Scream, or maybe faint. I felt like fainting right now. It probably would do me some good, now that things from my dreams were refusing to stay there.

I nodded awkwardly, "Hey."

The only reaction I could really see was her shoulders stiffening and her eyes widening. She definitely recognized me, but from where? And then in a moment, it was gone. Atem returned to her original posture, blinked twice, and then asked if she could speak to me outside. I followed.

Right before she shut the door, Atem leaned in and shouted, "Pegasus, you have a class to teach. Stop sitting in the corner, sulking like a child."

I could almost imagine the man scowling at following the orders of someone like her. But she pissed Pegasus off, so I guess she couldn't be all that bad.

Atem turned to face me, "You're not who I expected."

I probably should have said something like, "Who were you expecting?" That would have been a better comment then what sprung from my lips. But I really had to know.

"Are you really immortal?"

She blinked, and then sighed, "People are already starting to talk, I see."

I panicked, "No! I mean…maybe, but…yes…argh…"

"Don't do that," Atem glared, and I was suddenly reminded of the girl-princess of the ancient Mayan people. "I don't need your pity. I committed a crime and this is my punishment. I will serve my sentence until I meet the requirements of my release."

I gulped. Mental note to self: do not piss her off. She could probably blast me into pieces without even trying.

"To answer your question," she continued. "I'm immortal in the sense that I can't age. Death will still claim me if I am killed in battle, if I catch a disease, or something like that. Death collects all in the end; there are no exceptions. And once Death takes you, you can never permanently return to the world of the living. This is your first lesson as a Necromancer."

It took me a few seconds to realize what she said. My first lesson…? Oh!

"You," I said. "You're my teacher? You're a Necromancer?"

"Yes," Atem said, sounding slightly amused. "Yes, I am."

"A Necromancer. An honest to god Necromancer."

She smirked, "You're repeating yourself."

"Well, it's not every day that you find out that the person who's going to tech you about dead things is twelve hundred years old!" I really needed to sit down.

Atem sighed again, "No, I guess not." She cleared her throat and continued, "Your first class is tonight and then every other night after this. Meet me in the Combat room at six." Then she turned and walked away.

I stood there for a bit afterwards. This was getting way too weird. Immortals? Magic? Necromancy? What was next: flying pigs? Though, then again, with the right Summoning spell…

I stumbled back into Enchantment, while Pegasus was in the middle of some lecture. I wasn't really paying attention to him, only thinking about what had just occurred. Mana poked me in the side, mouthing "What did she want?"

"I'll tell you later," I whispered back.

* * *

"She's your WHAT?"

"Will you pipe down, Mai? I don't want the entire school knowing! It's not a big deal."

I finished telling them about Atem and my new class over lunch. Marik had filled Mana in on Atem's history and curse earlier; it caused her to stare at The Immortal for a good ten minutes.

We had moved on to large cuts and gashes in Medicine, learning how to stitch wounds shut with string and knit skin back together with magic. We practiced on dead fish that had already been gutted by over-zealous fishermen, piecing the poor animals back together in death.

"Not a big deal! Not a big – are you insane, Bakura?" Mai looked like she was going to pop a vein, "Atem is dangerous. Whenever she shows up in history some huge, catastrophic event takes place. The last time she appeared, Napoleon tried to take over the world."

"Maybe it's just some sort of coincidence," suggested Mana, "Just because she was there during that time period doesn't mean that she and Napoleon where connected."

"During the Brazilian gold rush, there were several ships containing gold that was supposed to go to Europe that were sunk. Atem watched as Summons devoured the sailors," Mai sounded like she was reciting from a textbook. "The third governor of Egypt is murdered in the bath on orders from the Ottoman Empire. Atem was there, disguised as a servant handing out drinks. During the 13th century, the Spanish Reconquista into kicks into high gear and –"

"Stop it, Mai," shouted Marik. "We get it, okay. Atem is a piece of work."

"But maybe…maybe we're looking at it all wrong," Mana suggested. "We weren't there when this stuff happened, so who are we to judge her actions? Maybe there's something we're missing."

"How can you say that, Mana? She's clearly dangerous!" Mai waved her hand towards Atem, who was innocently spooning corn salad onto her plate. "Okay, bad example…but you get my point! Besides, magic took away her ability to die. Anyone who had that happen to them has got to be pretty bad."

"You're wrong," I said, "She can still die. Death takes everyone in the end; no one is exempt, not even Atem."

Mai blinked, "…huh?"

"Look it doesn't matter who or what she is," my voice was stern and final. "She's the only person they could find to teach me Necromancy. Kaiba and Moto wouldn't let anyone dangerous into this building unless they had a damn good reason to. So, I'm going to learn what I can from her and that's it."

I then proceeded to stab at my lunch with my fork, muttering to myself darkly as the conversation at the table ground to a halt.

* * *

During Morphing, I took it upon myself to craft a holster for my knife, folding and hardening the leather so it fit perfectly. I changed the colours to red to match the hilt. I strapped it to my leg now, hidden under my jeans so no one can see it.

At a few minutes to six, I started to make my way over to the Combat room. Marik looked a bit nervous when I left, but said nothing. I walked up the stairs instead of taking the lift; it just seemed like the right thing to do, just then.

Atem stood at in front of the wall that held all the weapons Seto Kaiba had brought out earlier in the week. She touched one of the now-empty racks, murmuring to herself in what I assumed was her own language. I took a moment to just watch her, suddenly realizing that she was the last of her people. I remember in reading in a book once that the Mayan capital city of Tikal had been abandoned just before the end of the ninth century. The Classical Age ended with the collapse of the southern cities and a hundred years afterwards, the northern ones were gone too.

And she was all that was left of them. I wondered what that must feel like, to know that you were the last of something.

"I was eleven when I realized what I was," Atem started, not even turning around to face me. "I was at my mother's tomb, paying my respects when I saw her spirit. I didn't understand what I was seeing, so I ran home and never visited her again."

She paused, and I realized that she wanted me to tell her the first time I had seen a spirit. I remembered that day quite clearly.

"I was twelve," I started. "My grandfather had just died and we were at his funeral. He was standing next to his wife, but grandma couldn't see him there. I asked her if this was some kind of joke and...well, you can imagine what happened afterwards."

"Indeed," Atem commented. She began to walk towards the mats and sat down in the centre of one. She motioned for me to sit beside her.

"Necromancy, though not one of the most dangerous Overpower out there, is the most controversial," the girl began her explanation. "Those possessing this talent have been regarded with fear, disgust, and often hatred. Necromancy has been seen as a sin; we are said to disturb the dead from their rightful resting place."

Atem shook her head, "This couldn't be farther from the truth. As you have no doubt noticed by now, some spirits linger around long after they should have passed on. It is a Necromancer's duty to make sure that they are able to."

"Where do they go?" I asked, "Where do we send them to?"

She sighed, "The truth is, Bakura, I have no idea. I used to believe that I was sending them to Tamoanchan, a paradise where the gods of my people first created humans, to rest. Now that I have travelled the world and seen the many religions that people believe in, heard of places that we go after death, I don't know where Necromancers send spirits. Tamoanchan, Annwn, Heaven, or the Islands of the Blessed, the possibilities are endless; it could be any of them, or none at all."

Atem's eyes took on a dreamy state, and I thought that she was thinking of her home, "Or maybe we're all right and we're sending them were ever they want to go. I like that one the best out of all my options."

I squirmed slightly in my seat, uncomfortable with the way she was looking right now. I wished that I knew more about her past then I did now.

"Do you know any Latin?" She asked, cocking her head to the side in inquiry.

"Huh?" Where had that question come from?

"Latin," Atem said again. "You may know it as the language of the Ancient Romans."

"None at all," I told her. "but Rome was before your time, wasn't it?"

"Before, yes, but after as well," she said cryptically. "But their language is what is most important."

I didn't really understand what she was talking about. How could the language of some ancient civilization help me now in modern times? Atem continued on in her explanation, answering my question as she spoke.

"While current historians believe that Roman civilization began in the early tenth century BCE, their language dates back even further then that. Latin is the language of those who use magic, and was used in the time before the Cut Off in spells no matter what civilization you belonged to. I grew up knowing it as the language of the Ancient Ones, or Ones ut Venit Pro."

"I see," I lied, still not understanding what this had to do with Necromancy.

"Why I am telling you this is because you need to have knowledge of spells to be able to use any of your Overpower talents at will," Atem clarified. "The main spell I will be teaching you today will allow you to release souls from their earthly bonds."

Okay, things were coming together now, "So now I've got to learn Latin? Um…you do know that other languages aren't really my thing?"

She blinked, though no emotion crossed over her face to indicate what she was thinking, "There is a short cut, Bakura. We have access to magic, after all."

"Uh…right. I knew that," I blushed.

"Of course," she said, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

Atem explained to me that if I applied magic to my tongue, I would be able to speak in any language I wanted to. All I had to go was concentrate on the dialect's name, and I would be able to say the words. She told me that it was alright if I didn't get it on the first try: this trick was an Illusion, a highly advanced spell that took years to fully master.

"How do you even know about this stuff?" I asked.

Atem glanced at me out of the corner of her maroon eyes, "Do you think that I'm speaking English right now?"

What?

I realized then that if I listened really carefully to her talk, Atem was actually speaking an entirely different language. It was different than anything that I had ever heard, with a strange accent and speech patterns. The words I had heard were just a blanket on top of what she was really saying. She had never been speaking English, not since the moment I had met her.

What else was she capable of doing?

It took me a while to get it; the magic on my tongue tasted like warm soda. It was weird hearing different words come out of my mouth then what I was consciously saying. Atem said I still had my accent, but that was to be expected. I was still learning.

She nodded when I finally managed to get it, "Good. The spell is 'Be at peace.' Your turn."

I closed my eyes and focused that fire on my tongue. Latin, I thought. Latin, Latin, Latin.

"Exsisto procul pacis. Be at peace."

I felt as if someone had stuck an ice cube down my back, cold and slippery as it slid down my spine. There was a light behind me and I turned around just in time to see flames consume the form of an elderly man. He disappeared, just like the girl from my dream.

"How…what…when…" I stuttered, surprised that I hadn't seen the spirit when I entered the room, "What the bloody hell was that?"

Atem's eyes moved over to where the man was before, "He was a spirit I met a few days ago, wondering around on one of the streets. He was killed in a car accident. He agreed to let me take him here so that you could learn how to help spirits pass on."

"But I never even knew he was there," I argued. "I don't know who he is or what he did in his life. I don't – "

"Doesn't honestly matter, Bakura?" She asked, rising to her feet gracefully, "Through out your life you'll help sinners and saints to move on to the next life. Murderers and rapists, thieves and beggars will come to you asking for a way out of their half-existence in this world. The same will occur with the most honest of men. Does it really matter who they were, when they are all suffering equally in a world they no longer belong in?"

"Suffering?" I asked, "What do you mean?"

Atem sighed, "A spirit only remains in this world if there is something holding it back from moving on: that thing is regret. Whether it be their own, or someone else's, this spell is what allows them to let go of what happened. It allows them to finally come to terms with themselves and what they have done."

I sat there for a while, taking in this new knowledge. This was my new job, ferrying the dead to whatever was beyond it. What a morbid life that was.

But I was going to help people, help then during their most dire moments when they had no one else to turn to. As spirits, they didn't fear me or think that I was crazy. I was a guide and a friend to them. No wonder the spirits of the graveyard back in Domino gravitated towards me.

Atem glanced at the clock, "It's getting late." She mumbled, "Even after all these years, I still have trouble telling your time."

"Um…thanks," I said. "For this. For coming all this way to teach me."

Something ghosted over her eyes, looking like shame and regret, but it was gone as soon as I noticed it there. Atem bowed her head slightly, "There is no need to thank me. I am merely doing my job."

As I headed for the door, she moved back to the wall of weapons. Just as I closed it, I heard her whisper, "I wonder who took my knife…"

* * *

I came back to my room to find a lot more people in it then when I left. Marik stood off to the side with Mana, while Mai was in the centre of the room. Beside her were Mako Tsunami, Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood. Strings sat on the ground silently, picking at loose carpet fibres.

"What the hell is this?" I asked.

"Well," Marik said. "After you left, Mai and Mana came in to do some homework. Or at least that was their cover story, because I really think that they were going to interrogate you about Atem now when you came back." His gaze shifted over to Mai, "Glare at me all you want, but the truth is the truth."

He focused back on me, "Then Mako came in because he's no good at Summoning and Rex had a question about something, so they wanted to ask you. But you weren't here, so we had to explain where you were. Weevil showed up in the middle of it all, and overheard. And to be quite honest, I have no idea when Strings came in. He's just here."

The mute boy razed his head and nodded soberly.

"Okay," I glanced around the room one more time. "But why are you all here now?"

"Well duh," Rex replied sarcastically. "You're being taught by an immortal. What's she like?"

"Yeah, she's pretty hot for an old chick," Weevil muttered. "Did you at least get her number?"

I felt stab of irritation that was only half mine. Several somethings shifted in the back of my mine.

How dare he talk about the Lady Warrior in that fashion! This voice was softer then the others, but no less dangerous. I should turn him into an insect! He looks a lot like one already, so it wouldn't be that hard.

"She's not immortal, she just doesn't age," I clarified, trying to sort out the emotions I just felt into mine and theirs. "And she's pretty much the same as any of us. She's not as dangerous as you made her out to be, Mai."

The blonde woman turned to me, "I just don't trust her, that's all."

"Atem's really smart," I told them all. "She's been there, you know? She's used magic in practical situations that we would never really experience at school. Atem has…lost so much, and yet she's here.

"I think she scares you a little, Mai," I turned to her. "She's different and mysterious. There are things we'll probably never know about her. Just give her a chance, okay. She's been through a lot."

And there were a lot of things that I had yet to figure out about her, like why I was dreaming about her life. Who was the slave boy that I became at night? Who was he to her?

Strings slapped his hand on the floor to get our attention. The others opened up their mental shields to let him speak, while I just stood there and waited.

"If you say she's not going to do anything bad, Bakura, I'll trust your judgement," his unblinking stare unnerved me a little.

"Thanks mate," I said.

He nodded again, before getting up and leaving the room.

For a moment, there was silence. Mai pressed her lips together as she contemplated what Strings just said, worry marking her pretty face. Mana shifted back and forth on the spot, while Mako ran his hands through his dreads. Weevil kept glancing between me and the floor, probably still trying to find a way to ask if I got Atem's number or anything. Even if I did have it, I wouldn't have given it to the little snot.

Rex pulled his hat over his hair and sat down on the floor, "Well, I still have a question about Summoning. Think you can help me out here?"

Well, considering I was the only first year to be able to pull a monster from the Shadow Realm, he'd come to the right place. "Sure, what do you need?"

* * *

The Latin language is known today as being the language of Ancient Rome, a vast territory that went from Republic to Empire and then proceeded to take over a good chunk of the known world. The Romans were a very magically oriented culture, which lead to their great military victories. Each squad of men had at least two Magicians, one of whom was well versed in Combat magic. Our teams in the War were vaguely based off of theirs.

The two founding fathers of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were skilled Combat mages. Their secret to success was their discovery of the Ancient Ones, or at least, what was left of them.

The Ancient Ones were a civilization of beings that existed before anything modern historians know of today. They created the Shadow Realm and Magic himself. They also created and spoke Latin, or as it was known amongst the magic users before the Cut Off, Lingue of Ones Quisnam Venit Pro.

Romulus and Remus found survivors of the Fall of Mu and learned of magic from them. They learned their language and passed it on to their people. Latin, as it is known today, is filled with words of power.

I realized at a young age that words could be dangerous, cutting deeper than any knife and bruising more painfully than any punch. Now I know just how potent words could be.

The Ancient Ones died because of their words. They used them to create something that they weren't able to control. They created something they could never understand.

It killed them to destroy her. She forced them into a state of war and then wiped them clean off the face of the earth, sunk their continent and burned their cities until not even the ashes were left. Only a small group of them survived, among them the three ancient knights that taught Romulus and Remus Combat magic. Timaeus, Hermos, and Critias warned the brothers of their people's mistakes.

But it didn't do them any good, because Romulus and Remus had long since died when that thing was brought back and it happened on the other side of the world. And then we were forced to clean up the mess that their careless words created.

* * *

**Hello, my dear readers.**

**Firstly, thank you to all the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Eleanora-Griffindor, Coolaloo, Danyeda Goofy Panterita, Akikee, EgyptianSoul.88, and CrashAndBurn35. You are all amazing!**

**So Bakura's begun to learn about Necromancy and I threw in a little Roman mythology there. If you want the full Romulus and Remus legend, I suggest checking out .**

**Also, I used Google Translator for the Latin words in there. If you spot something wrong with them, tell me so that I can fix it. I'm not that great with other languages.**

**If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about what was covered in this chapter, put them in a review or PM. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**Oh! Before I forget: I put up another story called Ten Tales of the Uchiha and the Sharingan. If you want to check it out, its on my profile.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	10. Take a Cold Shower, Bakura

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Take a Cold Shower, Bakura**

_Wednesday, November 16th, 2016_

It was dark; blacker than the blackest of nights. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either. It was empty, final and absolute.

"Sangan," I called. "I need you."

"Again kid?" A voice answered back, sounding high pitched and inhuman, "Alright, I'm coming."

I smelled ocean water in the back of my mind, and pulled.

I awoke in my Summoning class with my fuzzy orange friend sitting on the table in front of me.

"Hello again," I grinned, scratching the top of his head in a way that I knew he liked.

"Right back at cha', kid," Sangan's mouth opened up in sharp, toothy smile. "I haven't been out this much in a while."

"I know you like Sangan, but you should try for some more Summons," Marik said from across the table, with a tall, faceless, silvery creature. It stretched out one of its tentacle-arms and whispered in my roommate's ear, "Humanoid Slime says that he can introduce you to a few of his friends, if you want."

"No way!" My orange Summon shouted, "If anyone is going to show him any more Summons, it's going to be me. Not some weirdo slime ball."

Humanoid Slime extended its neck until it was looking Sangan right in the face. It said nothing, but I could tell that it wasn't sending a happy message. My Summon leapt from his seat on the table and started clawing at its face.

It took both myself and Marik to pull the two apart.

"Can't control your Summons, Bakura?" An Australian drawl came from my left, carrying with it a mocking tone, "I'm surprised that Shadi's prize student can't even manage that."

"Piss off, Valon," I threw back at him. "No body asked for your opinion."

Valon was one of Rafael's friends. He wore a leather jacket and concert t-shirts all the time. He was tall, even for a fifth-year, with brown hair that refused to be tamed. Sky blue eyes glared down at me while a sarcastic grin appeared on his face.

"You might not know, Necromancer, but little Sangan here's weak," this guy was really getting on my nerves. "I would have thought that by now some one as skilled as you would be able to hold at least two Summons in this realm by now. But it seems that you can't. What a waste…"

"I can hold two," I said angrily.

"Well, then why don't you show us, little boy? Or are you too scared…" he left his words hanging, a cruel smirk tugging on his lips.

"Valon," Marik growled to my left. "If you and your little group have a problem with Mai and I, you take it up with us. Leave Bakura out of this."

"Why should I?" Sky blue eyes met lilac with searing hatred, "You're not so scary, Marik. All it takes is a touch to shut you down for good."

Then Valon reached forwards, trying to grab at my roommate's arm. Marik stepped backwards in a hurry as Mana darted forwards and kicked the Australian's feet out from under him.

"Nice one, Mana," Mai cheered from the background. "You really showed him one." Then she looked down at Valon, sprawled helplessly on the floor, "You're one to talk about cowardice. You won't even be over here if it weren't for the fact that Shadi just stepped out."

"Come on, darling. Cut me some slack," he grinned. "I make you a bet: if I'm right and the Necromancer can't hold a pair of Summons, you've got to go out with me."

Mai gagged, "Ugh! Why would I ever want to go out with a pig like you? You and your friends give Others a bad name."

I was tired of being ignored, "I'll take that bet."

"What?" Mana cried next to me, "Bakura! What are you thinking?"

"I said I'll take it," I addressed my friends, but stared Valon right in the face. "And if I win, he's got to leave us alone and never talk to us again."

"This is crazy talk, Bakura," Marik interrupted. "No first year has ever managed to hold two Summons at the same time. This is suicide and, damn it, he knows that!"

I turned to Sangan, "You said you wanted to introduce me to some different Summons, right."

The orange fuzz ball's grin was filled with way too many teeth, "Sure thing, kid."

I re-entered the darkness, somewhere beyond my Soul Room and the world of black and purple swirls. I could feel Sangan's presence, but like usual it was covered by the thick nothingness of this plain.

"Here, pretty lady. I've got someone I'd like you to meet," he called.

For a moment, I thought he was calling me a woman. But then another presence brushed my mind, feeling distinctly female.

"Hello there, little child," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"I need you in my world," I shouted out into the darkness and beyond. "Will you come with me?"

The woman-creature thought for a moment before responding, "Sangan tells me of your bet with the other boy in your class. Children shouldn't fight with each other."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I was cut off, "But I will agree to be Summoned this time, to see if you are worthy of me. Prove to me that I should fight by your side when the time comes."

"Your name! I need your name!" I cried.

She whispered it in my ear, like a mother would when telling her son a secret.

I awoke in the real world. I looked around once, noting that Sangan had disappeared. My friends were looking at me, trying to tell me to stop without words. I grinned, "Sangan and Dark Necrofear."

I felt like I was drowning, struggling to breathe beneath the ocean. Salt stung my eyes and water flowed down my wind pipe as I fought to maintain the spell, pulling the two Summons through.

And then the sensation was gone. I was down on my hands and knees, dripping with sweat as my whole body shook with exhaustion.

But I had succeeded.

Sangan was curled around her long legs. Clad in heavy armour stood Dark Necrofear, a curvy demon woman with blue skin and a bald head. Her ears were pointed and her eyes were completely black. A small wooden puppet was cradled in her arms, supported as if it were a baby. Or maybe actually it was her child. I didn't know anything in the ways of Summon creature reproduction to tell the difference.

My arms gave out underneath me and I fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

I told you! I told you! He's just like me! He's great and he's bold! I told you, see!

Bah…you're too loud, Dark God. Besides, the King is us. And we're him, or something like that. It's too complicated to explain.

You're just jealous, Soul Stealer.

Both of you, shut up. He's waking up.

Yes Akeifa.

I opened my eyes to find myself in Kisara's office. The walls were painted a calming light blue and the setting sun filtered onto the two rows of beds. The nurse walked down the middle and saw that I had awakened.

"You're up," she said with one of her sad smiles. "If Ms. Ishizu hadn't Seen you collapse, it could have been much worse for you."

I winced as I tried to sit up in the bed, "What happened to me?"

"You over used your magic," she explained, grabbing the clipboard from the side table. "You shouldn't have Summoned such a high powered creature on your first try, let alone a pair of Summons."

"You can over use magic? I never knew you could do that," I told her.

"You only have access to a certain amount of magic at one time," Kisara sat down on beside me on the bed, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder. "You'll gain access to more over time, it just takes practice. You've only actively been using magic for a month and a half now, so your reserves aren't as large as someone older than you."

Her hand began to glow with blue fire and she placed in on my chest. I smelled alcohol rub as she checked to see if my organs had taken any damage.

"You seem to be alright, though I wouldn't recommend using magic for the next six or so hours. You need to replenish your flame," she stared at me to make sure I got the message. "You've missed dinner, so I'll get someone to bring you up some food. Stay put."

Kisara moved towards the exit, "I'll let your friends in. They've been sitting outside for an hour now." She winked as she opened the door.

"You fucking idiot! What on earth possessed you to do something like that? Are you really as stupid as you look?"

Marik came crashing in, lilac eyes livid and dangerous has hell. He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me to my feet, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you where you stand."

I remembered that Marik's weapons were a pair of handguns, so I quickly destroyed the sarcastic quip I was doing to use. Instead I decided to tell him the truth.

"Well, you weren't going to do anything," I told him. "For all your talk, Marik, you were going to let Valon walk all over you."

"You dare-"

"Yeah, I dare!" I shouted, "I don't know what the hell went on between you and his friends last year, but I could tell that you were fighting a loosing battle. The least I could do was stand up for you."

"I didn't need your help, Ryou," he spat my first name out. "I can handle myself better than some stupid first year who thinks he's invincible."

"Don't call me Ryou, asshole," I raised my fist to punch him - no one called me Ryou - but something stopped me in my tracks. Mai's hand gripped my wrist, twisting it around my back and held me in an arm lock. Mana was pulling Marik backwards and away from me.

"Will both of you stop and think for a moment?" Mai yelled, "Bakura's recovering from magical overuse, so the last thing he needs right now is to get into a fight."

"Marik stop!" Mana cried, "Stop it! Please!"

The Enchanter ceased his struggling at the girl's pleas. He addressed Mana, "You can let go of me now." She did.

Then he turned to me, glaring daggers, "You fucking idiot. You - you...whatever." Marik turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Marik!" Mana called, running after him.

I stared at the door for a few seconds before turning to Mai, "Are you going to yell at me, too?"

"I should," she said, pulling over a chair and sitting down. "You could do with a good yelling, hun."

"I don't see what set him off like that. It was my fault that I used too much magic, so why is he so pissed off about it?" I asked.

Mai ran a hand through her long hair and sighed, "You really scared him, you know. Marik cares about you a lot and when you went down after you Summoned that lady creature, he panicked. You should have seen him: I've never seen Marik fight like that before."

"He got into a fight?" I was surprised, Marik was usually pretty passive about things.

"Yeah, it took Ishizu, Mako, and Shadi to pull him away from Valon and his friends. He took on all three at once. He almost won, too."

My jaw dropped. I knew how hard it was to fight someone like Rafael. To brawl with Valon and Alister at the same time would practically be suicide.

"What happened last year?" I asked her, "Something must have gone on for there to be that much hatred between you guys."

Mai looked at her high-heeled boots, "Alister was Marik's sponsor last year. Alister has some serious anger issues, and he took them out on Marik a lot. That's how we met. I found those three making him clean a mess they made with his own shirt. He wouldn't take it off, so they tried to beat him up.

"He wouldn't let them," she continued. "Instead he tried to do some Combat magic that was way beyond a first year and ended up in here for a few days from magical overuse. I had to carry him all the way there. He moved into my room afterwards.

"The thing is that Marik knew that Valon was baiting you, Bakura. He knew that Valon was trying to get you to do the same thing he did in his first year, and Marik was trying to defend you."

I fell silent. I hadn't known. I didn't know about what Marik had gone through last year, and all I had done was mess things up for him. I was such an idiot - a stupid, stupid idiot.

"Just think about it, okay," Mai said as she rose to her feet. "Just think about it."

She was about to open the door when it swung open from the other side. Atem stood there with a tray of steaming food.

"Oh," my Necromancy teacher said, though not really looking surprised. "I'm sorry. I didn't know Bakura had a visitor."

Mai froze up, staring at the shorter girl with wide eyes. Atem pretended not to notice and turned towards me.

"Kisara asked me if I could bring you up some dinner," she explained. "I hope you like shepherd's pie."

"Um...sure. That's fine," I muttered. "Uh, Atem? This is my friend Mai Valentine. Mai, this is Atem."

I hoped that by meeting her, Mai wouldn't be so nervous whenever I brought up the topic of my Necromancy lessons.

"A pleasure," Atem reacted politely, doing a sort of curtsy-thing with her long shirt. Her face screwed up in thought for a second, "That was how you greet people in this century, right?"

I snorted, responding sarcastically, "Yeah, that's definitely how you do it."

I suspected that she knew what I really meant, but continued on anyways, "Just so you know, I still expect you to show up tomorrow for your lesson. Same time, same place."

"Excuse me," it looked like Mai had returned to reality. "Did you just say that Bakura still has classes with you tomorrow? He's recovering from magical overuse! He shouldn't be using magic for the next two days!"

"Bakura has an Overpower," Atem explained, slowly. "That means that his magical reserve is a lot larger than the average Other. That was why he was able to hold a Summon creature as powerful as Dark Nercofear on his first try, a long with Sangan."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mai's fist clenched.

"Because of our larger reserves, Others with Overpowers have developed a faster magical recovery system. Bakura will be up and running on full power after he eats and gets a good night's sleep."

"So says you," my friend spat.

"So says Kisara, your resident nurse," Atem responded calmly. "Of course, most of her knowledge was based on the sixty years of research I've put into the subject, so I guess you would also be correct that I say so as well."

There was a hint of arrogance in her voice. I had no idea who to cheer for in this battle of wits. But I did know how to stop it.

"You know, as much as I enjoy you ladies fighting over me," I began, a lecherous smile on my face. "I would like to be able to eat my supper in peace. So could you take your little cat-fight outside."

Have you ever heard the saying that 'you've got your foot in your mouth'? Well, it felt like I had begun to chew on my knees when Mai and Atem exchanged glances in a sort of temporary truce kind of way. I thought-smelled earth, and the air above me turned into water. It fell down on top of me, soaking me to the bone.

"Keep it in you pants and take a cold shower, Bakura," said Mai with a flirty grin. "Oh wait. I've already helped you with the last bit."

I flipped her off, though I totally deserved that.

"Very impressive," Atem commented, nodding her head at Mai's display of magic. "Did you learn that here?"

"No, I learned that at Kingdom of Sanguenay. They're more into Morphing up there then at Atlantis."

"Hmm," maroon eyes crinkled at their corners. "I haven't been up to Canada in a long time. I'll have to go and see what's changed at their school there."

Mai looked at Atem hard, before sighing, "You're not that bad."

"I would hope not," she answered. "Though I have a long way to go before I am entirely good."

"That's boring," the blonde put a hand on her hip. "A little 'badness' never hurt anyone."

"Maybe," Atem muttered, looking off to the side in longing of a world that was long gone.

"I guess I'll see you around then," Mai waved. She turned to me, "Take care of yourself, Bakura."

"I'll try," I growled, still very wet.

She left, leaving me alone with Atem.

"You should eat," she said. "It'll help replenish your strength."

She waved her hand and the sheets around me dried. I even felt warmer then I was before.

"Thanks," I muttered.

Atem nodded solemnly, "Get better soon."

It was afterwards that I realized that my Magical Sixth Sense didn't pick up her spells when she cast them.

* * *

The funny thing about evolution is that only the next generation will experience the changes that come with it. The older generations remain the same, while their children move forwards into the future. Nothing outside of what I like to call a "forced devolution" can change that.

Atem was born before the Cut Off, so she was never effected by the development of the Magical Sixth Sense. Her magic will never set anyone's Sense off, nor can she pick up anyone else's magic. For the same reason, she isn't effected by the Ward. Normals view and treat her like one of their own.

She is probably the only living expert on all aspects of magic. Despite her curse, Atem has used her knowledge to teach whoever would come to her. Thought, that's not many people: like you've noticed with Mai, Atem doesn't have the greatest reputation amongst Others. Whenever she shows up in the dreams of those who were born after the Cut Off, it usually isn't in the best of lights.

But she's still here, promoting her cause to anyone who will listen. It was because of her that we were able to contain the War in the United States of America. Those in Europe and in Asia know every little about what Atem did for them - what she's always been doing for everyone.

She cares so much about the people of this world, and they will never know. So that's why I'm writing this. We owe it to her to know her story.

* * *

I made up with Marik that night. It was awkward and weird, but we finally came to terms that I was acting like a total idiot when I took Valon's bait and that I completely deserved to be stuck in a hospital bed for the next two weeks. Marik volunteered to put me back there, but I quickly said that it wasn't necessary.

He punched me in the face, though. I let him do it. He needed it.

After that, things got a bit better. Valon and his friends were shocked to see me in class the next day. I was a little tired, but I managed to get through the entire day. Mai walked with me to Necromancy and peaked in on Atem before she left. I think she was a little amazed by Atem, and who wouldn't. It wasn't everyday that an immortal walked into your life.

Atem took me out to a graveyard that she had found somewhere close by. I practiced the spell that I had learned last time with her, and released a few spirits from this world. She also explained that sometimes, spirits would manage to reject the spell because the things that were tying them here were too great. If that was the case, I had a lot more to do.

The next few classes were based around the idea of possession. From what I could understand, it's when you take a spirit into your body and let them basically control it, to an extent. It was very difficult, and Atem told me it took her years to get it right. But as she spoke, it was like she expected me to excel at Necromancy. Maybe it was because I was the first one in a while to have the talent, though something told me that wasn't the case. It always felt like I knew what to do and was simply re-learning the art. But that was impossible...right?

As the first week passed into the second, the temperature started to drop in the capital city. It made me wonder if it was snowing up in Domino yet. I hoped not. I really hated the snow.

During Combat we had begun to face of against each other with our weapons. The only rule was that there were no rules; we could use any kind of magic that we knew, as long as we won the fight. So far I had beaten Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood hands down. When Kaiba paired me up with Mai, though, I got my arse handed to me.

I guessed that was the reason why she was going into Combat. Mai Valentine was one hell of a fighter.

In Illusions, Mahad had finally moved the first years onto making more complex shapes, like a bird or a cat. Marik and the older years were working on mixing sounds into their Illusions. Apparently, it was harder than it looked.

Enchantment was still the worst part of my day, though Pegasus had yet to speak to me since Atem beat him in their little verbal sparring match. My personal theory was that the man thought I was infected or something by her presence and didn't want to come near me. But I wasn't complaining; the less Pegasus bothered me, the faster his boring as hell classes seemed to go.

Ishizu had us moving on to healing other people, but I had read some of the material ahead of time, so I was a little bit advanced compared to the other people in my year. She taught us a few tricks so that I could avoid the little incident that I had had with my sister the next time I wanted to heal a Normal. It was sort of a time delay healing thing and was pretty difficult to master.

I managed to freeze some water into ice cubes during my last Morphing class. Some of the older years were changing one substance to another - like sand into metal - but according to Karim, we all had a long way before we would be tackling that.

I was really starting to get into my Necromancy classes. I wanted to be able to free some of the spirits in the graveyard back at Domino when I went back. I thought that I'd start with Rebeca. That little girl deserved some peace.

* * *

_Friday, November 25th, 2016_

"Fio Mihi. Become me."

I reached out with my magic, feeling as if hundreds of little strands of water were flowing out of my body and into the spirit in front of me. He was a police officer, most likely killed in the line of duty if his still present uniform was anything to go by. He was young, but old enough to have had children. Atem and I had seen a grieving young woman and her daughter lay flowers on his grave as we arrived.

The man was patient and understanding. I never really knew how the spirits knew about our powers (at least subconsciously), but maybe they gained some sort of omnipotence when they died.

The strands of my magic clung to his arm, pulling it towards my body. The man smiled, which was a look that I wasn't used to seeing on police officers. My father worked for the Domino City Police Department and had apparently told everyone there that I was some sort of drug addict-gang leader who was going to end up dead before turning twenty. I could barely walk passed a cop without getting strange looks.

But the man's smile encouraged me, and I continued to pull him forwards.

Suddenly, my right arm went completely numb. I couldn't feel anything - not my fingers nor my elbow. There was no sort of phantom feeling that you hear amputees talking about sometimes either. My arm was gone, and yet it's physical form remained behind.

And then my fingers twitched. I wasn't controlling them at all, though. My brain was definitely not sending any signals telling them to move. So how was this possible?

The man gasped, startling me back into reality. His own arm was missing and he was staring at mine, fascinated.

"I can feel," he whispered softly. "I can...I can actually feel..."

"A partial possession," Atem explained from behind me. I jumped in surprise; I had completely forgotten that she was there.

"What?" I mumbled, "Is that what this is?"

"Yes," she said softly. "You're about half way to a full possession. It took you two lessons and fifteen minutes of practice to get this far, but it usually takes months. You should congratulate yourself."

"It's weird, you know," I told her. "It's like I've done this before. It's like I'm remembering something that I forgot years ago rather than learning something new."

Atem looked uncomfortable, and I hoped to get some sort of explanation out of her. Maybe I could finally find out who the slave boy from my dreams was.

But there was no such luck.

"Or maybe you're just very lucky to have such talent, Bakura," she answered cryptically.

"Excuse me," I turned back to the man, who had just spoken. "Would you mind if I used your arm to write a letter to my wife? I just want to say good-bye to her one last time."

"Sure," I agreed. "That's what Necromancers are for. Right Atem?"

She stiffened for a fraction of a second, before relaxing again. She walked over to one of the now barren trees and produced a piece of paper from the bark. I dug around in my pocket for a pencil and placed it in my right hand.

Through me, the man began to write out his last letter to his beloved wife. He had to stop half way through as phantom tears began to flow from his eyes, but when my hand swished with his signature, he was smiling.

"It feels good to finally get that off of my chest," he said. "I'll give you her address so that you can mail it to her."

"But you can come with us," I said, turning to Atem for confirmation. "Like that guy that you brought to my first lesson. You can do the same thing here."

Atem shook her head, "Spirits remain attached to their bodies, Bakura. The only reason why I was able to bring that man into Atlantis was because I found a fragment of his skull on the sidewalk. Unless you plan to dig this man up from his grave, he must stay here."

"It's alright, kid," the man said softly. "As long as I know that this letter will get to her, I know that I will be able to move on. You've helped me do that, and I thank you for it."

Water ran down my back and fire consumed the man's spirit. There was an aching feeling in my eyes. I rubbed them, but the feeling wouldn't go away.

"What you use your Overpower," Atem explained. "your eyes will change colour as you are filled with magic. The whites of your eyes will turn the colour of the flame within your soul."

"My eyes are red?" I asked her.

"Yes."

I shivered,though it had nothing to do with the cold, "That's pretty freaky."

Her lips twitched into some sort of smile.

I stood up, brushing off my pants, "Well, I guess we should get this delivered. He left the address on the back."

Atem nodded and turned towards the exit. She didn't move though.

"I guess we aren't going to have to mail that letter after all," she commented.

The spirit-man's wife stood just down the row, staring at us with wide eyes. She glanced at Atem before turning her nervous gaze over to me.

"Who are you?" She asked, her pretty face hidden by her jacket collar and scarf, "What are you doing at my husband's grave?"

I stood ram-rod straight behind Atem, glancing around for a reason for this woman to come back. A Barbie-doll lay on the ground next to the tombstone. It must have been her daughter's.

Atem immediately took charge of the situation, "Hello, ma'am. My friend and I were just visiting your husbands grave. He helped us out once, and we only just heard that he died."

"Kemo's been dead for almost a year now," the woman explained.

"We've been out of the city for a while," I answered this time. "We only just heard."

Atem motioned for me to hand the letter over.

"Um..." I began, "He asked us to give this to you."

The woman stepped back hesitantly as I moved towards her. I held out the paper and waited for her to take it.

She snatched it from me, unfolding it quickly and reading the words. Her eyes darted across the page, becoming wider and wider with every line.

Finally, she put the letter down with shaking hands, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No ma'am," Atem said quietly. "We wouldn't joke about something like this."

The woman glanced between us and the letter one more time before bursting out into tears.

Atem tugged on my sleeve, "Come on, lets go."

We were almost out of the graveyard when I heard the woman calling for us. But we couldn't turn back, couldn't explain how we had a letter written by her husband a year after his death. There was nothing else we could do but leave her to imagine how this was all possible. She probably thought we were angels, or even spirits ourselves.

"I hope you find peace, Mr. Kemo," I whispered softly. "Where ever you are..."

And I hoped that his wife would find some as well.

* * *

_Sunday, November 27th, 2016_

When my name was called over the intercom system, I was in the Mana's room being experimented on. Not in a bad way, of course, but it was still pretty awful. Mana was learning how to cook from a book that she bought over the weekend. It was called Gourmet Meals in Crappy Little Kitchens. It was some sort of pasta dish, that much I was sure of. Personally, I was kind of happy that my name was called. Mana turned out to be as great a cook as the cafeteria ladies at Domino High. I was half expecting the food to start crawling out of the pan it was in.

After I wished everyone a good two weeks, I headed down the hallway towards the PORT location. I thought I saw Atem in the lobby, but when I turned around there was no one there.

When I landed back in Domino, the first thing I did was vow to make a trip to the graveyard after school the next day. I ran home, powering my legs with Combat magic, and sneaking up the stairs to my room. I lay down on my bed, arms and legs spread out like a star and wiggled around until the spring in my back disappeared. It felt like no one was home.

My eye lids dropped, suddenly becoming heavy as lead. I closed them, deciding to rest them for a few minutes. Just a few minutes...just a...few...

I was out cold.

* * *

_We had finally caught caught up with the bandits. They weren't what I expected them to be. The monsters that killed my family were muscle bound brutes with scarred faces and mad grins. These people were skinny and hollow-eyed, barely able to feed themselves and their children. They stole anything that they could sell or eat, and set fire to the things they couldn't. They said that Yum Cimil, the god of death, had come to them and wiped out their crops. They stole to appease him and feed themselves._

_It was empty victory, but a victory none the less. And none took it harder then her._

_There was no glory in defeating these people, so there was no great battle to take home to her father when they returned. I sneered when I passed her; her expedition to prove he worth to the King was all for nothing. The bandits had surrendered the moment we raided their camp._

_I still hadn't found out who had seen me use my god power, but had come to the conclusion that there was another person who could see spirits amongst the soldiers. That was the only way that the person would have been able to recognize my powers for what they were._

_The bandits had been executed on the spot when we found them - all of them, even the women and the children were dead._

_"They made the decision to steal and kill, and support those who stole and killed," the princess had said, eyes blank and voice flat. "My father would never let this go unpunished."_

_Then the axes and clubs came down on their heads, and the bandit's bodies fell to the ground with a mundane thud. Death had never bothered me before, but it did now._

_I volunteered amongst the slaves that traveled with the soldiers to clean the dishes. I just wanted to get away from it all for a brief moment in time._

_But she wouldn't let me. She sat by the river, staring into the water with a blank look on her face. I didn't even think she noticed me arriving. I did my best to ignore her, but glanced over every few minutes. The look on the princess's face was almost frightening._

_I didn't even hear her move over to where I was until she was kneeling right next to me._

_"I'll dry," she offered quietly._

_"What?"_

_What? What? Why would she want to do slave-work? She was a princess. Princesses didn't do the dishes._

_"Just let me do it," her voice came out as a whisper. "Please."_

_I sat there numbly before handing her the clean plate I was holding. She grabbed at the piece cloth I had momentarily discarded, mumbling darkly to herself. It was the oddest thing I had ever experienced._

_I caught a few words of what she was saying. Most of them revolved around her father. But there was one statement that stood out from all the rest._

_"It's all his fault," she kept repeating that same phrase. "It's all his fault."_

_I couldn't take it anymore._

_"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I yelled as I leapt to my feet. She didn't even react, "Look at me when I'm talking to you, girl!"_

_"What does it matter to you?" She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, then returning to the work in front of her. I growled and grabbed her by the wrist, hauling her up._

_"Why are you acting like this? You never use the collar, even when you should. You never accuse me of stealing or punish me when I speak out against you. And now you're sitting here and half of my chores. What the fuck is wrong with you?" I yelled at her._

_"Do you want me to treat you like that, Bakura?" She shouted back, sounding almost desperate, "Do you want me to use the collar? Because I can, if that's what you want..."._

_"Why are you even asking for my permission?" I wanted to know so badly why she was doing this, "I'm your slave. Everyone says that slaves have no souls, that they aren't human. That makes it alright to whip them or beat them or -"_

_"But you're human."_

_Her response stopped me cold. I tried to move my mouth, to make some sort of sound come out, but nothing came._

_Human. She believed I was human._

_"And they're human too," the princess continued. "The villagers and the bandits. They didn't need to die. But I killed them anyways."_

_"What?" My voice had finally returned to me, and I still had no idea what she was talking about._

_"I would have let them go, but the soldiers would have reported it when we got back. My father's laws don't have exceptions in them. And I have to follow them because I'm his fucking heir," she swore, rage tearing through her voice. I had never heard her swear before._

_"He wasn't even going to send anyone, Bakura," the princess continued. "He was just going to let them fight it out. 'Commoners kill each other all the time,' he said, 'We don't need to step in, this is normal.' It's not right! I had to do something!"_

_Then it clicked in my mind, "The King doesn't know we're here, does he?"_

_She shook her head,"I left him a note before we left explaining what I had done and that I would take full responsibility for my actions when we returned home."_

_I couldn't believe it. This girl was nothing like I thought she was. Even after living with her for years, I had no idea who she really was. I had been so caught up in hating her and everything she stood for that I had failed to realize the girl-child who simply wanted to help people. She saw people in the commoners that others of her social class overlooked. How could I have missed that?_

_"Do you remember the day we first met?" She asked suddenly. I dropped her hand like it was a hot brick, "The day you saved me from being crushed by the market stall?"_

_I took a hasty step back. I didn't like the way she was looking at me, "I didn't know who you were. It meant nothing."_

_"But it taught me so much," she advanced towards me as I continued to retreat. "It taught me more than any of the teachers at the palace ever could. You said that you had no idea who I was when you saved me, and that's the point. I was a complete stranger to you and yet you still helped me."_

_My back hit a large tree, stopping me in my tracks. She kept coming though, with that weird look in her eyes._

_"You taught me that a life is a life, no matter what background they had. And I..." she stopped in front of me, reaching up to touch my face. She was too close - far too close - and, gods, was she actually going to..._

_"Well, isn't this cute," an unfamiliar voice rang from behind me._

_The man was old and withered, with long white hair and wrinkled skin. His blue eyes shown in the darkness of night. He went bare foot, but the was something wrong with his feet. I just couldn't put my finger on it._

_"The daughter of the King and her slave lover meeting in secret, like an X'tabay whore," the man grinned a toothless smile, before turning to me. "You should be more careful, boy. X'tabay are demons who kill their partners after they are finished with them."_

_"Who are you?" The princess questioned angrily, "Identity yourself."_

_"You know my name already," the man said. "So why should I have to tell you. But I will tell you this, X'tabay: those bandits where mine."_

_"What? That's absurd," she cried. "Those people were starving and hungry, doing what they could for themselves and made up a legend so that they could explain what was going on. How could they be yours?"_

_"They were hungry because I made them hungry. They came to me and worshipped me as their god to regain my favour. They stole and killed for me and me alone," the man hissed like a demon._

_What was wrong with his feet?_

_"Did you control them?" the princess yelled, anger reappearing on her face as she finally stepped away from me. "Are you a Mind Puppet Shaman?"_

_"Why would I need to play with their minds when I have something better?" He took a step forward and I realized what was wrong with him._

_It wasn't his feet. It was what was under them: dead plants._

_"He's a Death Touch!" I shouted as the man lurched forwards to grab her. She danced backwards and Summoned her bow and quiver._

_"Don't let him touch you!" She yelled, rushing backwards to get a better shot. The man turned to me and grinned._

_"Time to die!"_

_I reacted instinctively, lashing out with my god power and swinging my stolen knife at his eyes. He backed away cursing._

_"A slave with god power? You've signed your death warrant, boy. Even if you survive, you'll be killed!"_

_"Fuck you!" I yelled. I cast an illusion that blinded him temporarily with a bright light and slashed at his chest. My knife shattered on impact, but the man howled in pain as I put some distance between the two of us._

_A hand reached out from the bushes and pulled me in. For a moment, I thought I was going to die from some poison that made my blood boil. Then I realize that I that just the princess._

_"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I asked in a whisper. The man was regaining his sight in the distance and yelled for us to come and face him on the field of battle._

_"Don't be so over dramatic," she whispered back. "I've got a plan. If you can get him into the river, I can get him with one of my arrows."_

_"Why does he have to be in the river?" I questioned angrily._

_"Just do it!" She yelled, grabbing her arrows and loosing a few as she ran for the cover of the trees._

_I swore colourfully at her retreating back, but rushed the man again. I let loose a war cry so that he'd concentrate on me while she got set up to deliver the final blow._

_It took everything I had to push the old man back. I even Summoned a few creatures that I knew to aid me. I cast Illusion after Illusion to keep him confused. The princess shot off a few arrows to keep him on the right track._

_Then he stepped into the water and everything exploded._

_The princess launched a arrow made completely of lightning, hitting the water and electrifying the whole stream. Water leapt up as hissing steam filled the air. For an instant, I thought we had won._

_I was wrong. So very wrong._

_The earth trembled beneath my feet before knocking me into a far away tree. The tree branch that the princess was squatting on writhed and threw her off. The nameless man stepped out of the steam, shielded by the earth, completely unharmed._

_"You thought something like that would kill me?" He screeched, "I am a god! I am Yum Cimil, the god of death, in human form! I am all powerful!"_

_He approached the princess, who was struggling to her feet. The tree moved once more, it's branches wrapping around her and pinning her to its trunk._

_She spat in his face, "You are no god, just an old man who insane enough to think he's one."_

_"I am Yum Cimil or Ah Puch or whatever name you mortals gave me. And I will be your death, X'tabay."_

_She broke free of one of her restraints, grabbing for her knife and slashing at him. The man laughed, ripping the stone blade from her hands. She screamed as he touched her skin._

_My eyes widened. Death Touch diseases were transferred by skin contact; everyone knew that. The princess had just been infected._

_I could see her god power kicking into overdrive, trying to get rid of the disease. Shaman's usually had a better chance at surviving contact with a Death Touch than any non-magical person. But considering that he had her pinned to a tree and could kill her any time he wanted, it wasn't looking good._

_He threw her knife away and grinned, "Goodbye, X'tabay. I'll kill your lover next. You put up a good fight, but this is the end."_

_He didn't get the change though. For he had made one fatal mistake: he had thrown the red-hilted knife towards me._

_I didn't even think, didn't even realize what I had done until the blade was embedded in the man's back. I yanking the blade up and across, severing his spinal cord. He fell to the ground with the same mundane thud of the people he had controlled, the bandits we had killed. I slit his throat out of mercy._

_And then it happened._

_Suddenly I was the old man, advancing on the demon-girl-whore-princess with a sickening glee. I was going to kill her, put her head on a pike and walk into the palace with my prize over my shoulder. I gloated at her in her final moments, reaching forward to touch - please, just one touch, it's been so long since I felt human flesh beneath my fingers..._

_And then pain exploded from my lower back. Blood gushed out of the wound as the pain ripped up and across. I felt something snap and then I couldn't feel my legs. I fell on my side and looked up at my killer._

_It was me._

_It was odd seeing myself from the outside. Long and wild white hair framed a paler-then-pale face. My eyes were empty and soulless as I reached down and slit my throat. I tried to cry out in pain - I don't want to die, I don't want to die, please! - but nothing came out. I was choking on my own blood and, gods above, I didn't want to die!_

_And then everything was dark._

_My eyes opened to the princess, hovering above me with eyes filled with worry. I was on the ground. When had I fallen over? And what was that sound?_

_I was screaming. They were my own yells of terror._

_"Bakura, stop it!" she cried, "Look at me, please!"_

_I bit my tongue so make myself stop. I sat up quickly, reaching for my neck to feel for a cut there._

_Nothing._

_"What did you see, Bakura?" the princess took hold of my face and yanked me around to look at her, "What did you see?"_

_My eyes traveled from her face over to the dead body of the man I had just killed. She understood what I couldn't put into words._

_"You were using your god power when you killed him, didn't you?" she asked, "Killing with it is a taboo. What you saw was your punishment."_

_It took a moment for me to finally connect what she had just said with the problem I had had for a while now, "You."_

_She looked confused, so I continued, "You saw me use my god power that day. You can see spirits as well." Gods, that's why she didn't look so surprised when I was fighting the old man. That's why she had came up with a plan that had involved me using god power. She had known all along._

_"Yes, I knew," she confirmed._

_This was too much. She was destroying everything that I knew - everything that I thought about nobles and royals - for my entire life. What right did she have to do that?_

_"Are you alright?" She reached forward, "Let me-"_

_"Don't touch me!" I yelled, "Just leave me alone!"_

_She looked hurt, "Bakura, I-"_

_"Just go away," I told her. "Leave me alone for once."_

_She left, leaving me with the dissolving body of the Death Touch man. His body and soul were taken back magic - Shamans were all born of the gods, so it made sense that we would return one day to them._

_My pain didn't leave, though. I should have hated her for it. Earlier that day, I would be blaming her for misery. I couldn't now. I knew now that the princess wasn't the person I thought she had been._

_But why did she care so much? I was a slave, and before that a common thief and a criminal. She was the heir to the throne. She was supposed to be power and arrogance and everything I hated. And yet she said that I was human, that we were the same. How could she care about a slave? How could she care about a killer like me?_

_Oh Gods, I was a killer. I was a killer like the people who murdered my family. I was like them._

_I was a killer._

_The walls that I had built around me were cracking, destroying myself in the process._

_It was dark when I finally moved. My bones creaked with stiffness as I got up and stumbled my way towards our camp. I didn't really remember the trip there or even the soldiers who were on watch duty that yelled at me to get in quicker. I moved forward slowly, letting my legs take me wherever they wanted me to go._

_They led me to her tent. I slipped inside, barely making a sound. She was sitting in the corner, snoring slightly next to the pad that I used as a bed._

_She had fallen asleep waiting for me. That made me feel something...something that I dared not name._

_Her eyes flickered open as I approached. Maroon eyes widened, "What..."_

_"What do you want from me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. It cracked and came out weak. I would have winced, but her eyes held me still._

_She said nothing, but opened her arms to let me in. I collapsed on her shoulder as my walls fell down._

_I screamed in agony that entire night in the arms of the girl that I had hated most of my life. I was glad, somewhere in the back of my mind, that the tents were sound proof, so no one could hear me. She whispered words in my ear, whispered promises that I couldn't hear over the sound of my own voice._

_It was amazing how it was not an act of hatred that broke me in the end. It was one of kindness._

_"Atem!" I cried her name out loud, "Atem!"_

* * *

**Hello again.**

**As usual, I'd like to thank the reviewers of the last chapter: Danyeda Goofy Panterita, EgyptianSoul.88, Coolaloo, Akikee, and SRRH. Thank you all so much!**

**There is a lot of Mayan terminology in this chapter, so if you are confused about anything, leave a comment or PM me. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**Happy early Saint Patrick's Day! I'm a bit Irish (if you go far enough back) so I guess it counts for something.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	11. A Very Manly Squeak

**The Others: The First Year  
**Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 11: A Very Manly Squeak**

_Monday, November 28th, 2016_

Why was I dreaming of Atem trying to kiss me?

I mean, I had only known her for two weeks. She was my _teacher_, for crying out loud. Not to mention that the age gap between us was freaking huge!

And yet, she had tried to kiss me. Right before that evil guy who could kill by just touching attacked us. She had been close - way, way too close - and she was looking at me with really weird eyes had tried to...

Panic!

No! No panicking! I was being stupid. Atem hadn't tried to kiss _me_. She was trying to kiss the slave boy whose body I inhabited in my dreams. And that slave boy that wasn't me at all, despite the fact that we shared the same appearance, voice, and name.

Arg! This was complicated...

I needed to calm down. I needed to think. I needed to breathe.

I needed to pay attention better in class, if Ms. Madusa harping was anything to go by.

Lynn Madusa was my history teacher. She was a pretty red headed lady whose appearance at first sight gave away nothing of the sadist that lurked beneath her skin. Over her past six jobs as a teacher, she's gotten fifteen students expelled and apparently I was her next target.

"Pay attention, boy," she sneered, "I asked you a question. Answer it."

"Could you repeat the question?" I asked, trying to be relatively polite.

Ms. Madusa cackled, "No. If you were listening, I wouldn't have to."

She strut down between the seats, hips swaying from side to side in her little pencil skirt. I wish she wouldn't do that. It was like watching someone trying to imitate Mai. Mai was my friend, and I felt like Ms. Madusa was insulting her.

"And you homework?" she asked, "I didn't receive it on my desk this morning."

I scowled at her, "I wasn't here for the past two weeks. I don't know what was assigned."

"That's no excuse," she said, sweetly.

Someone behind me laughed. I tried to turn around, but Ms. Madusa coughed not-so-subtly. I looked back at her.

"What?" I spat, "I wasn't here, lady. How could I have done any of the homework I wasn't here?"

"How dare you speak to me like that?" she growled, "Detention, boy. See me after school."

I was so angry I almost hit her. She walked back to her desk at the front and Joey Wheeler was leering at her backside and -

"Ms. Madusa, that's not fair."

My jaw almost dropped. Never in my entire life would I have expected a Normal to stand up for me.

Let alone Duke Devlin.

"I'm sorry, Duke. What's not fair?" Ms. Madusa asked kindly.

"I didn't do my homework for today and I was here all of last week," Devlin explained, "I can count at least five other people in this room that didn't hand anything in this morning. Why are you punishing Bakura when he actually has an excuse?"

"Sit down, idiot!" I hissed at him, "What the hell do you think your doing?"

Devlin glared at me, giving me a silent 'shut up.'

"My reasons are my own," she said, her voice become less pleasant.

"If Bakura has a detention, then I should have one too."

Devlin stood up, slapping his hands against his desk. I was staring at him like he had grown a second head and started doing the can-can. The apocalypse was here, and it looked like a tall teenage boy with long black hair and green eyes.

What the hell was going on?

"Sit down, Duke. You're making a commotion," Ms. Madusa dismissed him, but Devlin wouldn't give up. He got to his feet and made his way up to through the desks. I knew what he was going to do a second before he did. I had to stop him.

It's an odd thing using Combat magic around Normals. Time seems to almost slow down, while you're moving at your usual speed. I ran up to the front of the class from the very back, getting in front of Devlin before he could take a swing at her.

"I didn't ask for your help," I growled at him, hoping he'd get the message to back down, "So back off, Devlin."

I saw terror pass over his eyes for a second, but he shoved it down, "I've got my own reasons for what I'm doing. Back off."

People were whispering around me.

"Did you see -"

"...never seen anyone move that fast..."

"That's not possible..."

I grabbed Devlin by the collar and hauled him down to my height. "Now is not the time," I whispered.

"Is there a problem, boys?" Ms. Madusa had finally finished her catwalk to her desk and was paying attention to the class once more.

Devlin pushed my arms away from him, "Nothing, Ms. Madusa."

She grinned and took a step towards us. I decided I had had enough.

I thought-smelled wet earth and the floor rose in front of her foot. Ms. Madusa tripped and fell into the front row of desks. Laughter rang out from the students sitting around us. She stood up, face red as a beat. She sputtered and addressed the class.

"Out! Out! Get out and don't let me see you again for the rest of the day!"

We all grabbed our bags before she could re-think our words. I lost sight of Devlin in the mad rush to get out of the door. I headed to the cafeteria once I broke free of the pack, knowing he'd probably be there with a few of his friends.

Devlin was already there, surrounded by Amane, Joey Wheeler, and Tristan Taylor. They were sitting at a table in the back, and Wheeler looked pissed.

"The hell, man?" the blonde shouted, "What cha' standing up for that freak for?"

"I told you, Joey. I owed the guy for helping me get my life back together," Devlin answered.

"I don't know," Taylor frowned, "There's something not right about that guy. I don't even like standing in the same room as him most days."

"I realize that," green eyes flashed, not in anger but something else. Something I didn't know what to make of: a sort of twisted respect, "But does that honestly give us an excuse to do half of the things we did to him? We knocked him out and tied him to a pole, guys. We left him there all night. But he's never once tried to retaliate."

Wheeler and Taylor looked confused for a moment, so Devlin continued, "All those times that he's gotten into fights with us have been because we sought him out and started it. Not once has he ever challenged someone to a fight. Not once has he ever tried to get us back afterwards.

"Just before he went off to that other school of his, he gave me some advice about Serenity; told me not to mess up the chance I had with her. He scares the crap out of me, but under it all, he's an okay guy."

I froze, staring blankly at the back table. An okay guy. Duke Devlin thought I was an okay guy. First Atem was trying to kiss me in a dream, and now this! Had the world gone absolutely insane?

"His other school..." Amane muttered under her breath. It was the first time she had spoken and it was about Atlantis, "His stupid gifted school..."

She turned to Wheeler, "Have any of you ever heard of Atlantis School for the Gifted?"

Wheeler blinked, "Uh...no. Why? You thinking of applying there?"

Amane scoffed, "No. Apparently that's where he goes once a month."

"Oh," the blonde nodded, but then frowned, "Why do you care?"

"Because I checked out the place's website. Apparently it's run out of the KaibaCorp main building in Washington, DC. They're training future employees, or something like that," my sister explained, "What does KaibaCorp want with him? It's not like he's got good grades or anything..."

Taylor shrugged, "Don't know and don't care. As long as he stays out of my way, I'm fine."

"There's something weird going on with him lately," Amane had an odd look on her face, one that was somewhere between concern and jealousy, "He's been locking himself in his room more than ever. I hear him talking to himself sometimes and there are these weird lights coming from under his door. It gives me a headache."

"But don't you always say he's in his room doing weird stuff?"

"Not like this. I don't know how to explain it, but ever since he's been going off to that school, he's been different," my sister sighed and turned her head towards the exit.

Straight at me.

I gulped, suddenly scared of her and her widening eyes. She stood up quickly and shouted, "What are you doing here?"

The three other boys turned to me, realizing that I was there for the first time. I ignored Wheeler and Taylor, focusing directly on Devlin.

"I didn't need your help," I told him, "I didn't want your help, either. So why?"

Devlin shifted nervously, "I owed you. That's why."

"And you thought to pay me back by talking back to Lynn Madusa? The lady who gets her jollies by ruining people's lives! Are you mad?" I yelled.

"Why do you care about what happens to me, anyways?"

My snappy remark died on my lips. Devlin continued to speak, "You should hate me for what I've done to you. For what we've all done to you. But you don't; you wouldn't have even approached me two months ago with some of the best advice anyone's ever given me if you hated me. You wouldn't have helped Amane if you hated her. So why, Bakura? Why don't you hate us?"

Devlin was obviously out of his mind. Of course I hated them. I've hated every single one of them since they barged into my life. I hated Wheeler and Taylor when they accosted me in the graveyard in my weeks before discovering that I was an Other. I've hated Amane since she started telling outlandish tales of my supposedly Satanic hobbies. I've hated Duke Devlin since third week when a sweet-smelling rag was pressed to my nose and mouth and I woke up tied to a pole, completely naked.

I hate them, I hate them, I hate –

Serenity Wheeler said that Devlin felt bad about the fight we had. He had wanted to apologise for that day. He _had_ apologized for everything, in the park so long ago.

Wheeler and Gardner had trusted me enough to let me treat Amane's sprained ankle. They had followed my directions and had helped me.

And then there was Amane, my sister. I remembered the years before we moved to America, when we were small and shared the same room, the same toys, the same everything. She was happy then, and there was no loathing when she spoke to me. It was different…nice even. Hell, when I was five, I was convinced that I was going to marry her one day.

No! That was then and this is now! Everything's different and I do hate them! I do!

Right?

"Don't talk to me about things that you do not know of," I growled, remembering those words from somewhere before, "I don't care about you, I never have. I'd give anything for you to never talk to me again!"

Devlin's expression turned sour, "I'm trying to do something nice for you, for once in my life. What's the problem with that?"

"You don't want to do something for me. You want to tame the beast so that it doesn't try and bite you when you walk passed its cage."

The look on the guy's face was such an obvious cover-up for 'caught-red-handed' shock that I almost laughed. I sneered at them all.

"I know," I told them, deep voice menacing, "I know that you're scared of me; that deep down inside, you think that I'm dangerous. You need to lash out at me in order to convince yourselves otherwise, but you know what I am."

I took a deep breath and looked them each in the eye. First Devlin, then Wheeler and Taylor, before finally lingering on my sister's black eyes, "So stay away from me. I don't what to talk to you ever again. I don't even want to see you again. Leave me alone."

So I turned away, leaving them behind in the back of the cafeteria. I hated them, really I did. Nothing was changing that. I didn't want their help. I didn't want anything from them.

So why did it feel like I was more scared of them than they were of me?

* * *

The Ward is about the only bit of Enchantment magic that is still working for me. The rest of my Enchantment talents were stolen from me while I was still in my mother's womb. I'm not going to tell you who or what took them now. You'll find out later.

Anyways, the Ward evolved in the generation of Others that were born directly after the Cut Off. It was the reason why magic users were able to slip away into obscurity like they did. No one missed them. No one remembered that they were even there after a hundred or so years.

The Ward works by sending out a continuous stream of Enchantment magic into the one of the most primal parts of a Normal's brain, the amygdala. This part of your brain controls what people call instinct, processing emotions on an almost primitive level. By sending out the message of danger-danger-get-away-now into the amygdala, it becomes part of them to fear an Other.

There are ways to bypass the Ward. Looking at pictures of an Other won't trigger any fight-or-flight reactions. Neither will anything with our name on it, like homework that I handed in during high school. I guess that the Other actually has to be there in order for the Ward to come into effect. Sight has something to do with it as well. Blind Normals are less effected by the Ward than ones who can see perfectly. I'm not really sure why, but then again, I've never understood Enchantment.

Humans, however, have never been rational creatures. Despite our own fears and instincts, you see skydivers jumping out of planes all the time. You see people swimming with sharks, chasing tornados, and doing all sorts of stupid things that do against their very nature.

This is why Duke was willing to even consider talking to me.

Because as much as it is human to trust our instincts not to tickle a sleeping dragon, its still Normal to listen to that little voice in your head that says, "Go on and try it."

Duke Devlin was braver than I gave him credit for back then.

* * *

I don't think I've ever been this nervous before.

The last time I had been here, I had a major freak out and said a lot of things that I would love to take back. I told the spirits that they didn't exist, that they weren't real. I must have hurt them a lot. I've been visiting them for three years and I'd never gone this long without seeing them.

The metal gate was as rusty as ever and the brick walls were still covered in graffiti. The leaves had long since fallen from the trees and cleared by the grounds keepers. There were flowers and wreaths lying on the graves. It was like nothing had changed at all.

But it had.

The last time I walked into this graveyard, I was a bitter teenager who was wondering why life just wasn't fair. Now I was an Other who could Summon creatures from another realm and cast Illusions that looked almost real. I was a Necromancer and I had come to free them.

I pulled at my fraying jacket, walking amongst the tombstones and glancing around. Once, I had been confused why not all the graves had a spirit attached to them. Now I knew: they had been able to pass on by themselves, not held in this world by regret.

"Are you going to ignore us," a voice came from behind, "since we're not real and all?"

I turned and saw Rick, the almost-solid fifteen year old boy who once saved my life. His hair was shaggy and brown, his clothing hanging loosely off his lanky form. He looked pissed.

"No," I answered him, "I'm not going to ignore you. And you are real. I'm sorry for saying you weren't."

My apology didn't help my cause. Rick snarled and pushed me to the ground.

"You've got some nerve coming back here after what you said! Rebecca was crying for days!"

"Rick-" I tried to answer him, but was cut off.

"It took all both of Risa's sisters to calm her down. She hasn't let go of Aileen Rao since!"

"Rick, stop!" I raised my voice. Rick shut up, but still looked like he was going to punch me. I took a deep breath.

"I know why I can see you."

His anger was quickly replaced by confusion, interest, and a little scepticism. His eyes narrowed, "How? You've never known why you could see us. How do you know the answer now?"

"I'll explain it later when we're all together," I told him. He stepped back as I stood up, but continued to eye me suspiciously.

"Come on," Rick grunted, "There's someone you need to see."

He didn't even have to name her to know that he was taking me to see Rebecca.

Rebecca's grave was in the back, located under an old willow tree. I shivered in the cold; I don't like winter because of the temperature drop. But for these guys, I'd suffer through it.

Aileen Rao was a pretty dark skinned lady who must have died in the seventies, judging by her hippy clothes and the sort of dazed look in her eyes. She was always talking about free love and peace, but she was a nice person to hang out around. Back when I was in eleventh grade, she really helped me out on my essay on the Vietnam War protests. I even managed to scrape an 80 for my mark.

Today, she looked very sad. Rebecca clung to her long skirt like a lifeline and Aileen hummed a Beetles tune under her non-existent breath.

"Hey kiddo," I whispered as I got closer.

Rebecca jumped when she heard me. She looked up with large blue eyes that looked a bit watery and…oh, she was crying…

The spirit-girl launched herself at me and sobbed into my shirt. I felt awful.

I knelt down and immediately her arms wrapped around my neck in a bone crushing hug. I patted her back and smoothed out her hair, muttering apologies in her ear. I may be an asshole sometimes, but when there are children crying, I become a total softy.

Even spirit children. Especially spirit children.

"Am I dead?" Rebecca asked quietly, as if afraid of my answer.

For a moment, I was almost tempted to lie to her. I almost said no, told her that she was still alive and that one day she would go home with her grandpa, Arthur Hawkins and see her family again.

But then I realized that giving her that false hope would be more terrible than her knowing the truth.

"Yes, Rebecca. You're dead," I pulled away from her so that she could see my face and tell that I wasn't lying, "Everyone here is dead, except for me."

Her little face went pale, as if the blood that no longer flowed through her veins was drained from it.

"You said you knew why you could see us," said Rick from behind me, "I think now would be a good time to explain."

As he said this, the spirits from all over the cemetery congregated around us. Beside Rick stood Risa Kageyama and her two sisters, and behind them were the elderly couple that I didn't know by name. The woman that helped me out when Wheeler and Taylor tried to pick a fight with me in here last time lingered on Aileen's left. And then there were more spirits, one's that must have been new because I had never seen them before, and even some older ones that had been here forever.

And I told them everything.

I told them about being an Other, about having magic and being able to do things that I had never dreamed possible. I told them about Atlantis and by new friends there. I told them about KaibaCorp and my teachers.

And then finally, I told them about Atem and being a Necromancer.

They were all very silent as I talked to them. Occasionally Rebecca would sniffle, but when I rubbed her shoulder, she quieted down again.

Finally Rick spoke out, "But there's one thing wrong with your story, Bakura: magic isn't real."

"Magic is real," I told him, "And I think you knew that already; you just didn't realize it. That's why you never thought it was weird that I could see you."

The spirits shifted uncomfortably around me as Rebecca's hold on my shirt tightened. Even someone as young as her knew, subconsciously at the very least.

"I know how to release you guys from this place. I can send you onward if you want."

They were almost shocked at my proclamation. Some of them seemed excited. Others looked a little worried.

Rebecca began crying into my shirt again, "But I don't wanna go!"

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"I don't wanna go! I don't wanna leave! I wanna stay here with you!" she bawled, hiding her face in my stomach.

"But Rebecca, doesn't it hurt for you to stay here?" I didn't want to see her suffer, or any of them for that matter.

"No," she moaned, but I could tell she was lying.

"Rebecca," I started, but was cut off again.

"She doesn't have to go, if she doesn't want to," Rick said, looking a little nervous, "Its okay. I'll go first."

I managed to keep the look of surprise off my face when he said that, but nodded anyways. I detangled myself from Rebecca and turned towards him. I took a deep breath.

"Alright," I said, "There are two ways that I can do this. One is a simple spell that will allow you to come to terms with your regrets, which is what's holding you here. If that doesn't work, I'm going to allow you to possess me so that you can do whatever unfinished business you have and…why are you looking at me like that?"

Rick looked downright guilty, like he was harbouring some great and terrible secret. His hands twisted behind his back and he shifted his weight from side to side nervously.

"You said that regret is what is holding us here?" he kept his eyes on the ground, "There…something I need to tell you."

"You don't have to tell me anything," I explained, "That's none of my business."

"I know, but I want to tell you, Bakura. You deserve to know what happened," Rick's mouth twitched into something that resembled a smile. It disappeared the second I realized it was there. He sighed before starting his story.

"Back when I was alive, I got involved with the…wrong crowd, if you get what I'm saying. Me and my buddies used to go off and steel stuff from stores. We'd trap people in alleys and take their wallets, smoking pot and breaking windows, stupid crap like that. I dropped out of school and ran away from home because I thought it was cool, because all my friends were doing it.

"Anyways, three years ago we were heading back to the apartment we all shared when this kid bumped into me. I guess he was running home, it was pretty late after all. Anyways, we backed him into this place between these two strip malls and…"

I stopped listening after that point, not because I didn't care, but because I knew the rest of the story. The kid that Rick was talking about had been me. He and his gang had mugged me three years ago in the alley that I now used to PORT to Atlantis.

It all made sense now. Rick had always stayed in the back when the spirits wanted to talk to me. I had never heard him speak until he saved my life, pushing Tristan Taylor into the ground before he could pull a gun on me.

Rick's greatest regret was me.

"…threw my self out a window at the hospital one night to get away from the monsters. When I came here, everything started to clear up. I saw what I became and regretted everything I had done to those people. All I could think about when I saw you again was that I was sorry. I wanted to apologise, but I never knew what to say and shit, man, I'm sorry."

I wanted to punch him, I really did. He deserved it. But I didn't because I remembered that I had cast an Illusion on them, a weak one that Others naturally saw through. That Illusion drove them insane and landed them in an asylum.

"Okay," I told him. I could never forget what he did to me, but maybe I could start to forgive him, "Okay."

"Okay," he repeated.

An awkward silence followed, broken only by the wind.

Aileen coughed in the background, before sighing, "Men…they can never just say it can they?"

Risa and her sisters giggled softly beside her.

"Right! So…uh," I started, stumbling over my own words until I found the right ones, "Spirits…releasing…time to leave, okay."

Rick nodded stiffly and took a step forward.

I focused my magic on the tip of my tongue, working at it until I tasted warm soda. I reached out with my hands and spoke in the language of the Ancient Ones.

"Exsisto procul pacis. Be at peace."

I felt cold water running down my back and the weird itching sensation in my eyes. Rick's eyes closed, looking peaceful as his soul began to glow. Then red fire blazed and he vanished.

I swallowed a lump in my throat. Rick was gone now. I was never going to see him again.

I felt a small hand close around mine. Looking down, I saw the top of Rebecca's head.

"Is Rick in Heaven now?" she asked.

I didn't answer her, only squeezed her hand. I had no answer to her question because I didn't know where I had sent Rick. All I knew was that he was gone now, that he had moved on from the thing that had kept him here.

Something cold fell on my nose. For a second, I thought that my Necromancy magic was working again. But it wasn't my magic, but a small bit of crystallized water. It was joined by one more, then two, until finally bits of white fluff were falling from the sky. It was snowing, and for once, I wasn't bothered by the cold.

* * *

_Saturday, December 3__rd__, 2016_

I visited the cemetery everyday after I released Rick, releasing the spirits that came forward, requesting that I help them move on. After Rick, I helped the elderly couple and the youngest of the Kageyama sisters pass through the same spell, but with Aileen Rao I had to let her possess my arm. She wrote an email to a girlfriend she had had back when she was alive. Aileen had been fascinated by my laptop and even more by Noah, who I had commandeered to help me find this lady's email and make mine untraceable.

Rebecca was still refusing to pass on, but stood by me when I preformed the spells. I think she was scared the fire was going to hurt, but I wasn't going to push it. She would ask me when she was ready.

As November turned into December, I was struck by the notion that Christmas was coming up. It was an odd feeling; usually I just bypassed over the holiday and moved on with my life. I didn't like winter, and wondering if I was going to get any gifts just made it depressing when I didn't get any.

Though when we were kids…Amane used to share – no! No! I wasn't going to think about that. Not now. I hate her, I hate winter, and I hate Domino High. Devlin's conversation was getting to me. I was not going to let them get under my skin.

But anyways, this year was different. This year, I actually had friends that I care about. I actually wanted to get them something.

I decided to give them some of my books.

Books were the only thing I had in excess. They were stacked haphazardly on the shelf in my room, pilling higher than the thing was probably made for. The wooden planks sagged a bit under the weight of them all. Most of them I stole, but some of them were gifted to me by the half-blind old lady who runs the local library that, until recently, I had a job at. I had to quit in order to go to Atlantis.

It doesn't matter, though. I should be alright for the rest of the year with what I've saved up. Worse case scenario, I'll take one of Amane's credit cards.

I thought I'd give Marik my well-worn and well-loved copy of _Dune_ by Frank Herbert. He mentioned that he had seen the movie once, so I thought he'd like the book. For Mana, I picked Tamora Pierce's _Trickster's Choice_, a book about magic, spy rings, and underground rebellions. I hoped she knew the series, though it was possible to read it without knowing the rest of the preceding books.

Mai was a tricky one. I didn't know if she was the book-type, but I thought that maybe she'd like _1984_ by George Orwell. Mai was a very free person; the idea of rebellion in a totalitarian world would have her on the edge of her seat.

For Strings, I chose _Fahrenheit 451_ and Mako was going to get the first issue of the comic series _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen._ Rex and Weevil were getting _Ender's Game_ and _Speaker for the Dead_ respectively. The pair of them actually grew up in the same city and ended up sharing everything. Maybe it would get them to use their brains for something other than pranks once and a while.

Hey, a guy can dream.

But then there was this one person that kept on cropping up in the back of my head. I wondered if Atem would want something. I doubt she celebrated Christmas; it was a Christian holiday after all and she was Mayan. Maybe there was some sort of Ancient Mayan holiday in December that I could line Christmas up with. She probably hadn't celebrated anything from her religion in a long time. Besides, I owed her from coming all this way just to teach me Necromancy.

And that was why I was standing here, in a book store, standing before a section labelled Historical Fiction, while realizing that I had gone completely insane.

Here I was, going to _buy_ a present for a twelve hundred year old lady who I had only known for two weeks. I even had real cash in my pocket, which I actually earned from my old job. This was practically unheard of.

I managed to find a book that had a Mayan theme to it. They weren't that popular, believe it or not. There were more stories about the medieval times than you could shake a stick at, followed shortly by Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, but not a lot about the Mayans.

The one I found was called _Place of Mirrors_. I had never read it before, but according to the summary it was about some lady discovering that she is actually a reincarnated ancient Mayan, and then comparing the fall of Mayan civilization to the fall of our civilization in 2012 – you remember 2012, right? That gag a few years back that said the world was going to end on December 21st, 2012. It didn't happen, proof being that I'm still alive and kicking.

I reached the check out with the book in hand. I never really get great customer service, just what they're paid to say and nothing else, not even eye contact. I think I liked it better that way. No excess blabbering, just get the job done.

It's really started snowing in Domino. The weather forecasters are calling for a foot of snow to fit us in the next few days. Thankfully, I'll be out of here in a week and spending Christmas at Atlantis.

Oh, wow. Christmas at Atlantis, that's going to be fun!

I snuck behind the store and activated the PORT to take me back to my house. I had begun travelling like this to avoid the foot of snow that had been dumped on us over the past week. It was going to be a white Christmas up here. I'm not disappointed that I'm going to miss it.

I tossed my shoes in the corner and hung up my jacket. It was a wind breaker that was a size too small for me, not something that you would usually wear during the winter. I've had it for about four years now.

In the kitchen, mom was making dinner. Natsuki Bakura was a small woman, barely reaching five feet tall. Her black hair was cropped short at her neck, framing her face and bringing out her Asian features. Mom is Japanese, if you go far enough back. Her great-grandparents moved to America shortly before Pearl Harbour. They ended up having my maternal grandfather in the concentration camp they were sent to. They moved to Britain after their release.

It's because of her that Amane and I have the first names that we do. When we were born, she wanted to keep her family's heritage alive and gave us Japanese names.

I'm not Japanese, though. I'm British; reason number one why I don't like being called Ryou.

She didn't notice when I came in, but turned when Amane did. Mom smiled at her and asked how her day was.

"Fine," Amane grinned, then placed her hands behind her back. She did that whenever she wanted to ask a favour, "Mom, some of my friends are getting together to tonight. We formed a study group for our midterms and I was wondering if I could stay the night at Tea's place tonight."

That was a down right lie. Everyone at school knew that Tea Gardner was planning one of her "Just Because" parties for tonight. There was going to be a giant booze fest with ecstasy on the side. Girls went there looking for a good time. Boys went there looking to get laid. Somehow, the teachers had remained completely out of the loop.

It was nothing like the parties I'd been to at Atlantis. We didn't need to get drunk to have a good time.

Mom bought her story – surprise, surprise. How adults can remain so clueless to what's going on in their kids lives never ceases to amaze me.

Amane practically skipped upstairs, supposedly to gather her school books and pyjamas. In reality she was going to cover her face in glittery make up, style her hair all weird and wear the skimpiest pieces of clothing she owned.

Then, instead of looking through her textbooks and taking notes, she'd proceed to get drunk and not remember what happened the night before, waking up in some guy's bed with a bad headache.

It had happened before; it'll happen again.

A car horn blared from driveway and Amane went bolting out the door. I caught a flash of knee-high leather boots under her long jacket and knew I was right.

It made me feel kind of sick. I wasn't an idiot; I knew that my sister had great potential. She was smart enough to make it onto the Honour Role four years straight and quite pretty when she wanted to be. Amane had everything going for her. Why was she doing this to her self?

I didn't care, though. Not one bit.

But it still took me a long time to fall asleep that night.

* * *

_Sunday, December 4__th__, 2016_

Mom had gone out to buy groceries when I woke up. Its part of her schedule that she follows every week: Sunday morning groceries, followed by yoga class and a book club meeting with some of the neighbourhood ladies. Dad never made it home last night. He's been working weekends and pulling all-nighters at the station lately; something about a big case coming in.

Amane didn't make it back either.

I dragged myself into the kitchen and made myself some toast. I was almost finished when the phone rang.

I picked it up, "What do you want?"

At first I thought it was a prank call when I heard silence on the other end. Then there was a raspy sound, and someone said, "Ryou…"

I nearly dropped the phone, "Amane?"

"Put mom…put mom on the line, okay…" she sounded like she was hung-over. _Really_hung-over.

"Mom's not home right now," I answered.

"Shit," she groaned, and it was followed by that fuzzy noise that happened when some sighs into the phone.

And then she did something that totally threw me into a loop, "Can you come pick me up?"

This time I really did drop the phone. I grabbed it off the floor, yelling into the mouth piece, "Are you insane? Why should I help you?"

"Not so loud…" she whimpered, actually whimpered. I felt like I had kicked a defenceless kitten.

"Is there anyone there that can drop you off?" I asked.

"No…no…" came her reply.

Sighing, I gave in.

"Where are you?"

I heard her moving around sluggishly and hiss as what I presumed was a window opened. There was a few seconds of silence then, "I think I'm down town."

I swore under my breath. Downtown meant that I would have to take a half and hour bus ride. I cursed my mother for not being around to have to deal with this.

"Where down town?" I asked.

"The sign says…" she trailed off. I shouldn't have panicked, but I did.

"Hey, you still there?"

"…I'm at Pursuit and Holmes…"

"Oh…" I thought for a minute, "How'd you get there?"

Amane growled, "I don't remember, stupid. Just get me out of here."

"I'll be there in half and hour, don't get your panties in a twist."

"I'm not wearing any."

I let out a very manly squeak, "What?"

"…can't bloody find them…"

Okay, Amane was really, _really_ hung-over. She barely ever used "British-isms" anymore, except when she's not thinking straight. She wanted to be a Yank ever since we moved to Yankee-Ville.

I told her to sit still until I could go get her. I ran upstairs, got dressed and then headed into her room to grab some clothes for her. I was not having my sister sit half-naked on a bus next to me on our return trip. Also, since this was all her fault, I grabbed some money to pay for tickets. Before I let, I grabbed some Gravel from the bathroom cabinet.

The ride over was dull and boring. There was an old man snoring across the aisle from me and a college student fiddling with her phone near the back. Apart from the driver, there was no one else.

The corner of Pursuit and Holmes was occupied by an empty apartment complex, according to the homeless man I asked for directions from. Apparently, a bunch of teenagers used it to host raves on a regular basis. Somehow, I wasn't surprised.

I found her in lobby, sitting on a dusty, plastic chair with her head in her hands. I raised an eyebrow, "You look like shit."

"You always look like shit," she retorted, though it lost its effect with the shaking in her voice.

She must have been cold. Clad in a skirt that left nothing to the imagination and a lacy red bra, Amane shivered in the unheated air.

I offered her the clothes, "Here, go change. I'll take you home."

She stumbled into one of the vacant rooms and closed the door. Sitting on the chair my sister had occupied, I waited in silence.

There was a man snoring on the couch across the way that I had failed to notice when I walked in. He was a big guy, heavily muscled and unshaven. His blonde hair stuck out underneath his bandana and a large hand scratched at the coat he was using as a blanket.

Judging that his pants were strung over the back of the couch, I guessed that he was naked.

Something protective and possessive welled up inside me. If he _dared_ touch my sister I'd –

The door to the room Amane had slipped into creaked open and she came out. She tugged on her coat and blinked sluggishly at me. I stood and let her out the door.

I gave her some Gravel to settle her stomach as we found a seat on the bus. She looked green around the gills and I didn't want her puking on me.

There was nothing said between us, but it wasn't needed. We both knew what had happened last night; that she was lying to our parents and betraying their trust. But who was I to comment on her behaviour? I was lying to them, too. I was lying to her, disappearing for two weeks at a time to go to school.

Amane put her face in her hands, smearing her already smeared mascara across her face. Her shoulders where shaking, but this time it wasn't from the cold.

I put a hand on her knee. She tensed, but understood.

Because event though I may be an asshole sometimes, Amane's still my sister. I still loved her, no matter what happened between us.

"I really hate you, sometimes," she said through her fingers.

I grimaced, "I know."

I knew what she really meant, though. It was something that should have been impossible, for she was a Normal and I was an Other. Because I had the Ward and she didn't.

_Thanks._

_No problem._

* * *

**Hello!**

**First, I'd like to that my reviewers: ColonKellyHigginsGoil304, SRRH, Malik'sStalker, and Coolaloo. You guys are awesome!**

**I'd like to make a few announcements. First, at the end of the day, I'm going to upload another piece of fanart. If you want to see it, go check it out. It'll be on my profile.**

**Second: I've created a forum so that you guys can ask any questions that you have about this series. I'll be able to get back to you and you can also see some of the answers I've given to other fans. Talk away, I love to here from you guys.**

**I hope you liked this chapter. You can review or post something on the forum if you have a question. Until next time!**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	12. The Children of Toltex

**The Others: The First Year**

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

_To Danyeda Goofy Panterita,  
My fiftieth reviewer._

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Children of Toltex**

_Sunday, December 11__th__, 2016_

Noah had hijacked my laptop again.

I was in my room, drawing the view out my window in my sketchbook, when his obnoxious face appeared on my screen.

"You know, I think this is the longest I've seen you go without getting a black eye," he grinning. I growled and slammed the lid shut.

The program didn't quit though. Once I moved my hand off the top, he flipped it open and re-appeared. I swore at him. Loudly.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down," Noah said, "I've got a form that I need you to fill out."

"What is it?" I stopped cursing him, looking attentive. The last time I had to sign something for Atlantis, I got accepted into the school. This must be important.

"Solomon wants to know if you are staying an extra week for New Years or if you are staying home with your family. You know, for the holidays."

I almost danced. An extra week at Atlantis! Hells yeah, sign me up!

I told Noah just that, giving him my electronic signature as proof. He laughed, "You know, I don't even get why I bother asking. Everyone always signs up…well, almost everyone…"

He trailed off, but I had to know, "Who in their right mind would want to stay at home for the holidays?"

"I wasn't supposed to tell you that," Noah muttered, "Just forget what I said, okay."

"No way," I said, "Who's not staying? I'll find out anyways."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Just don't tell Seto I said this or he'll reprogram me. Valon Cincin isn't staying for the holidays; he never does."

I was genuinely shocked. Though I had never liked Valon, the idea that he didn't want to stay at Atlantis - _the place that had given me so much hope for my own future_ - when he was offered an extra week seemed alien.

I wanted Noah to continue, but he shook his head, "I can't say anymore than that. I don't know their reasons, and even if I did, it would be a massive betrayal of trust to tell you."

I understood, closing my laptop more gently this time and returning to my drawing. I still had a few minutes before I had to PORT out of here. It was a gentle scene, with snow resting on the top of the backyard fence. It dusted the bare branches of mom's well-kept bushes and covered the lawn in a smooth white blanket.

It was calming and beautiful, nothing like the front yard.

Amane had invited over a few of her friends and they had been hurling snowballs at each other there for over an hour. The last time I checked, Joey Wheeler had tackled her to the ground while he attempted to snog her. So the rumours going around school about Wheeler fancying her weren't _just_ rumours. At least Amane had good enough taste to turn him down, squealing and running over to Miho, Tea, and the rest of her giggling gaggle of girls.

I preferred the backyard's calm to the front's chaos, anyways. I didn't need them; I had my own friends who were so much cooler than the plastics of Domino High. I had wrapped up my gifts to them in some paper that I had found around the house the other day and stuffed them into the gaping black hole in my backpack.

Morphing magic actually helped me make sure they didn't look like balls of wadded paper in the end. I just had to make sure no one saw me when I did it.

The alarm on my phone went off as I finished off the last pencil strokes of my creation. It was time to go. I grabbed my bag and put my sketchbook inside, closing the door to my room behind me as I left.

I was just pulling on my shoes when the front door opened and my father walked in.

Andrew Bakura was a tall man in his early forties that appeared to be going through his mid-life crisis a little early. His shoulder length hair tied back at the base of his neck and one of his ears had a stud in it. Dad used to wear glasses, but a few years ago he convinced himself that they made him look old. He's been wearing contacts ever since.

He was laughing when he walked in and judging by the snow splattered on his jacket, a snowball had nailed him on his way in. That easy grin slipped off his face when he saw me.

"Where are you running off to, boy?" he growled. He always called me "boy" or "punk" or "kid." I guess it was something that he picked up in his years of interrogating suspects. I always felt like I was one of them when he spoke to me.

"School," I answered, wanting to get away as soon as possible. He grunted, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to arrest me on some trumped up charge that I didn't actually do. Believe it or not, but I'm pretty clean when it comes to the law. I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, hell, and I don't even drink. Well, I tried a beer once during the summer after tenth grade. I was bed ridden for a week. I never touched the stuff again.

I don't even hang out with the wrong crowd. I don't hang out with any crowd, for that matter. Stupid Ward, always making Normals jump to the wrong conclusion.

"Watch it, punk," the word 'punk' sounded wrong coming out of my dad's mouth. It was probably because dad was British and that was American slang, "One wrong move and I'll have you locked up for good this time."

"When you get you're evidence, you will be welcome to do so," I said, bowing dramatically as I stepped outside...

And promptly got hit in the face with a snowball.

Wankers.

I think it was Miho that did it. The timid Japanese girl blanched, before bursting out into an odd mixture of apologies that weren't all in English. I rolled my eyes as Amane came rushing over to her.

"It's fine, you did nothing wrong. It was a mistake, Miho."

"He going to kill me," the girl stuttered, "I am hearing bad things about him. He bad person! Watashi wa shinu koto o shitakunai!"

"He's not going to hurt you! Miho! Miho, calm down," Amane continued, "Ochitsuite!"

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. This was the most hilarious thing I had seen in my whole life.

"What's so funny?" Joey Wheeler stepped forward, "You try anything, freak, and I'll -"

"A snowball? You think I'd actually kill someone because they threw a snowball at me! How stupid can you get?" I gasped, holding my gut because it was actually starting to hurt. I hadn't laughed this much since...since...

Hell, I don't think I've ever laughed this hard before!

Wheeler had the most idiotic look on his face as his brain slowly processed what I had said, looking between my shaking form and Miho's wide eyes.

Gardner, who was standing off to the side, made a funny little noise. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a snort of laughter.

Tea Gardner, probably the hottest and most popular girl at Domino High, was laughing with me. Me, the lowest of the low, the loser that makes other losers look cool.

For some reason, that just made the whole thing funnier.

Amane and Wheeler looked at Gardner strangely. She raised an eyebrow at them, "Well, it is pretty stupid."

The next thing I knew, my sister and her friends were laughing with me. Even Miho, who still looked a little frightened, giggled softly to herself. It felt kind of amazing, being apart of the group that had been labeled as the 'cool kids,' even temporarily. It felt like being at Atlantis.

"Come on," Wheeler grinned, "Let's go get some hot chocolate down at Dunkin' Donuts! It's on me!"

It appeared that we were all heading in the same direction, so I tagged along with them.

They talked about silly things like who was wearing what brand of clothing and who was dating so-and-so. Amane was totally into it all, it the huge smile on her face was anything to go by. I remember the last time I saw her that that happy quite clearly.

It was the last time the whole Bakura clan had gotten together. We were eleven years old at the time. All our cousins on dad's side are older than us. Technically, they're our second cousins, but who's checking.

It was the first time I'd ever danced with a girl, too. Not the stuff that Amane does when she goes to her parties, but proper dancing. Slow dancing.

Amane was my partner. She looked so happy, swaying with me to the soft beats of the music. She was always happiest when she was with me back then. I'd forgotten what we were like as kids.

No, that was wrong. I hadn't forgotten. I just didn't want to remember.

Anyways, That was when Maxinne Callahan, my great uncle's granddaughter through his second daughter's first marriage (try saying that five times fast) and her boyfriend started whispering. I didn't catch what it was about, but Amane gave me this look because of it. It was a cross between horror, anger, betrayal, and a little bit of shame.

Amane's never smiled at me since.

Wheeler actually bought me a hot chocolate, but I think he didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late. I grabbed it and headed out the door. I needed to PORT to Atlantis soon.

I was just about to turn into the alley when I heard a bell jingle as someone opened the door and followed me out.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Amane's voice called from behind me. Instead of scolding, like I was used to, her tone was light and airy, "You just going to ditch us and run off?"

"I've gotta go," I told her.

"Where?"

"School."

"School's not till tomorrow, idiot," she scoffed, "Why are you heading out...oh, your other school."

Amane looked down at her feet, wringing her hands together in discomfort, "You'll be back, though, in time for Christmas?"

I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I wasn't going to be home in time. But what did it matter anyways? She didn't care.

"I'm staying for three weeks this time. For the holidays."

She looked at me, surprised and - _dare I say it_ - hurt, "But you never miss Christmas."

"What Christmas?" I asked her, "I never got to celebrate Christmas, not really. I want to be somewhere this year where people actually give a damn about me, Amane, and that's never been here."

I couldn't see what she was thinking; her hair had flopped in front of her face and hid it from view. All of a sudden, she leapt at me, pushing me backwards and screamed in my face.

"Fine! Go to your fucking school! I don't care! I don't care at all! I hate you! Go away and never come back!"

She shoved me one last time, "You're such a liar."

For a moment, I thought she'd burst into tears. Amane turned away from me and ran back into the shop. I felt like I swallowed something too large for my throat.

"_I thought as much..."_ whispered a voice in my head. It sounded cold, calculated, even dangerous, _"She's that one, isn't she?"_

"_You better get going,"_ said the voice I associated with Akeifa, _"Hurry up, landlord."_

My hand worked by itself, moving across the screen on my phone to activate the PORT. I didn't even realize what I was doing until blackness surrounded me and I fell into the abyss.

* * *

_Tuesday, December 13th, 2011_

The rest of Sunday and the following Monday, I spent in a sort of daze. Not even Mai could knock me out of it. Amane hated me. Well, she'd always hated me, but not like this. She'd been so upset that I wasn't coming home. I felt horrible.

I was stitching up a gash in the side of a chicken with magic, knitting the pale meat back together with red threats of energy. Medicine was always a calm class, the place where I would relax after Enchantment. Pegasus had moved the class onto mind control. He liked to use me to demonstrate. I think I might have done a few flips around the classroom, because my back was killing me.

"You're going to take your fingers off if you keep that up," Ishizu came over and sat down in front of me. I blinked, before looking down. I was so distracted that I'd almost sewn my hand onto the chicken.

Great. Meat hand. Just what I needed.

"Class is over," Kisara said, standing on the other side of the room and looking at the clock, "We'll see you all tomorrow."

Then with one of her sad smiles, the nurse left in a swish of silvery-blond.

"Bakura," Ishizu asked as I was packing up, "Could you stay behind for a few minutes?"

"Sure," I mumbled, before asking Mana to save me a seat in the cafeteria.

As the rest of the class made their way to the door, I followed Ishizu to her desk at the front. She sat elegantly on its edge.

"I haven't had the chance to talk to you since you began your lessons with Atem," she glanced upwards at me. Her eyes were a shocking shade of blue - bluer then the brightest summer sky I'd seen. Unnaturally blue, "I've been wanting to, but I kept having to put it off. And now I believe that I can wait no longer."

Ishizu stared at me long and hard, "There is something different about you, Ryou Bakura, and I am not just referring to your talents at Necromancy. I have Seen Pegasus when he thinks no one is watching him. He fears you almost as much as he fears Atem. Why is that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I told her, "Pegasus is a weirdo. He hates me. End of story."

"Then why does he whisper 'There is something in his head' whenever you are near?"

My blood ran cold. There was something in my head? Something like...Akeifa and Dark God and Soul Stealer? Touzoku and Game Master? And the other one that I had yet to name - the soft spoken one. They were real, and Pegasus knew about it.

Wait a minute...

"How do you know what Pegasus is mumbling behind my back?" my eyes narrowed into slits. How was that possible?

Ishizu smiled softly, "Do you believe that you and Atem are the only ones at Atlantis with Overpowers?"

My jaw dropped, "But how? Necromancy can't -"

"I am not a Necromancer," Ishizu explained, "I'm a Seer. Specifically, I'm clairvoyant. That means that I can see events as they occur, no matter what the distance."

"So," I was looking for proof, "Hypothetically, you could See if there is some guy picking his nose in the lobby..."

"No."

"So you can't See -"

"No. There is no guy picking his nose in the lobby."

"Ah," I squirmed, realizing that Ishizu's eyes had gone completely blue. There was no pupil or iris, no whites of her eyes. Just blue. Did I look the same way when I used my Overpower?

"I don't know why Pegasus is freaked out about me," I lied. It was better if less people knew that I had voices in my head. I don't want to go back to being the crazy kid.

Ishizu stared at me, the flames of her soul - _her magic_ - still pouring out of her eyes. It was freaky and weird and I wished she would stop.

Finally, the blue faded and she went back to normal. Sighing, she said, "I will not force any answers out of you for the time being. But remember, Bakura," and now she looked deadly serious, "if you do anything to harm my brother or anyone else here at Atlantis, I will finish you myself."

Ishizu stood, "I believe that I've kept you here long enough. Your friends are wondering where you are; do not keep them waiting."

I grabbed my bag and hurried out the door. Ishizu Ishtar was a scary woman. Wise, gentle, and wonderful, but absolutely scary.

I didn't doubt for a minute that she wouldn't follow up on that treat. I just didn't know why she'd think that I'd ever want to hurt someone here. Atlantis was my home and my friends were like my family. I would never harm them.

* * *

_Thursday, December 15th, 2016_

Atem and I went back to the local graveyard to continue my lessons in possession. I had finally managed to let a spirit, a crotchety old cat woman, possess something other than my arm. Even though it was my leg, it was still a big accomplishment.

The woman made me hop around the cemetery for a while. I must have looked like an idiot. I thought I saw Atem stifle some laughter, but I could have been wrong.

As we were walking back to the KaibaCorp building, I told her about the spirits at the cemetery back home. She seemed happy that I'd begun practicing on my own, but cautioned me not to go too far.

"Necromancy will take more out of your magical reserve than ordinary magic will," she explained, "Don't practice too much or you'll end up back in the nurse's office."

Yeah, I think I'll pass on the Magical Overuse. Been there, done that. Never again, thank you very much.

I knocked the mud off of my shoes before heading inside. Then I realized something, "You don't wear any shoes. Ever."

"They are pointless contraptions," Atem replied haughtily, "Your shoes make it harder to run and climb. You people these days are always inventing something new - idiotic things, really. You don't need metal boxes to travel up and down and side to side. No one walks anymore. It's ridiculous."

"But don't your feet get sore from walking all the time? Or cold in the winter?" I asked. She was the one that sounded ridiculous, not me.

"I have walked this earth, seen what there is to be seen, for over a thousand years," the girl looked up at me, but I felt like I was the shorter one, "And I did it without wearing your silly shoes. A few calluses aren't going to kill you. And these evlatators! No one uses the stairs either..."

"Elevators," I corrected her, but Atem didn't hear me. She continued to rant about things in this world she thought were stupid and useless. It was kind off funny, seeing the world from her perspective. To her, there was no need for most of the things that technology gave us.

When we reached the fourth floor, my legs were burning.

"You are mad," I told her after she mentioned that her room was located on the _top freaking floor of the building!_ "That's got to be a hundred stories up!"

"Someday," she scoffed at my weakness, "Someday I will take you to the ruins of my birth city and make you run up and down the temple steps. Then you will see that those," she pointed to the staircase down, "are nothing."

I had seen the temple district of Tikal in my dreams. The pyramid shaped stone buildings seemed to reach up into the sky and towards the sun. Climbing those steps would be a nightmare.

And yet...

"I'd like that," I said, smiling for the first time since Sunday, "To see where you grew up...if that's okay with you."

Atem stood frozen for a moment, staring at me with eyes of dried blood. Then something impossible happened. Something that I never thought I'd see. Something absolutely crazy.

Atem blushed.

It was small and barely noticeable, but I'd been hanging out around her for a while now and I knew the pink on her face wasn't from the wind. It didn't help that she stuttered out her good night before stumbling up the first few steps.

Atem blushed. _Blushed_. Because of me.

Whoa...

I shook my head. It probably meant nothing, anyways. Atem was my teacher and way too old. Nothing was going on. Nothing.

It meant absolutely nothing.

Still, she looked nice with a blush on her face. She looked less ancient, less haunted by the past.

Atem looked like a kid.

* * *

_We began our trip back the day after I killed the nameless man who thought he was a god. I was still shaken from the vision I had received afterwards. I had literally been the dying man. I had felt his murderous intent, his longing for human contact, and his final moments for terror and pain. Magic had punished me for killing him, for killing was the taboo of Warrior magic._

_I wondered if the princess had ever killed someone. I wondered if she had ever felt the pain of dying. I think she had, but I don't know from when or where._

_I think there's something wrong with Atem._

_She looked sickly and pale. Sweat dripped from her brow, though she had done no physical labour recently. She hasn't had much of an appetite since we began our trip home. But she had told me that she had fought off the disease by the Death Touch._

_Something had changed between us since that fight. I wasn't quite sure what it was and I wasn't quite sure that I liked it, but it was there. Atem seemed different than before - less royal and more human. She spoke more, asked more than ordered, and even offered me things in return. I caught her staring at me with those weird eyes again. They still make me feel uncomfortable._

_The whole march back to the capital toke four days and the princess got progressively worse and worse with every step. I wondered if she was even going to make it home. She shook and shivered and started wearing warmer clothing to keep out a chill that wasn't there. I kept her fire burning at night and slipped medicinal herbs into her drink. Not that I cared or anything..._

_Her father was at the gate when we arrived._

"_So," he snarled, in the same voice he had spoken the first time he addressed me, "You wonder off with my army for a week, go and fight for common whelps that barely know their place, and then come back with nothing to show for yourself. You pointless, useless girl. Why I even bother keeping you around, I don't know."_

"_They needed," she erupted into several wet-sounding coughs, "They needed help, father. It...it is my royal duty to -"_

"_How dare you presume what royal duty is!" the king screamed, "I am a child of Gods, girl. You are nothing but a demon-monster, a parasite clinging to the throne."_

"_They needed help," Atem tried again, "There was...was a..."_

_Her father, face red with rage, raised his hand as if to strike her. I expected her to dodge or block, but the princess didn't even twitch. There was no reaction as his hand connected with her face and she collapsed on the ground._

_Realization hit me with the force of a hundred Shadow Monsters. The king had hit his daughter before. And worse of all, the people around me knew about it and accepted it as the norm._

_I broke the ranks of my fellow slaves and ducked underneath the line of soldiers. I knelt beside her and touched my hand to her shoulder. It was burning hot._

_She'd lied; she hadn't fought off the Death Touch's sickness._

"_She needs a Healer," I told the king. He glared at me, as if I wasn't good enough to lick the dirt off his feet._

"_She will get no such thing," the man spat and I was filled with the intense desire to punch him in the gut, "She swore to me on the day she bought you that she would obey my every order. I told her not to bother with the commoners and what does she do? No, she will get no Healer. She deserves whatever virus she picked up for her insolence."_

_Atem was barely breathing. She shook and gasped for air and she was probably dying. Dying because of a father who didn't know what she'd really done. The princess was dying because of what she believed._

_Something I thought that she was incapable of for years: compassion._

"_She's only sick because there was a Death Touch."_

_The moment the words came out of my mouth, I knew I'd said the wrong thing. The king stiffened and his eyes went wide. He glanced around, as if looking for invisible enemies as if they would slip out of the air. He turned on the closest soldier, "Is the slave telling the truth? Was there a Death Touch?"_

"_I don't know, milord," the man, a young man with war paint lining his face, "But if you pardon my bluntness, sir, the princess's symptom's look exactly like something a Death Touch would do."_

_The king went white, muttering under his breath, "They're back. The Children of Toltex are back."_

_I swallowed hard. This couldn't be good._

"_You, slave," the king addressed me, "Take my daughter up to the infirmary. She will be treated."_

_Atem was lighter than she looked, but I suspected that she's lost a lot of weight on the trip back as she battled the Death Touch's sickness. And I wondered, as I climbed those steps up to where the palace Healers worked, why the king had changed his mind so quickly._

* * *

_Sunday, December 25th, 2016_

It was the first time in my life that I was willingly up at dawn.

"Marik," I whispered, "You awake?"

I got a snore in response. It was quite loud.

"Hey, brat!" I kicked at the bunk above me, "Wake up, already!"

Still nothing. Brat. The one day that I was awake before him was the day that is was impossible to get him up.

A sly grin came across my face. Ah yes, revenge would be sweet.

Trying to be as quiet as I could, I slowly untangled myself from my blankets and crept out of my bed. I climbed up into Marik's bunk, grinning like a maniac. And then I let loose.

"MARIK! WAKE UP!"

The blonde's whole body seemed to jump, scrambling into a defensive position that left me staring at the business end of a pair of handguns. Okay, maybe revenge wasn't that sweet…

"Oh," Marik sighed, lowering his weapons, "It's just you. What are you doing up so early? You usually don't show signs of life until noon."

"It's Christmas!" I grinned, throwing my hands up with joy.

He blinked and scratched his head, muttering, "Okay, but why'd you wake me up?"

"Because it's Christmas," this sounded like a very roundabout conversation.

"You do know that I don't celebrate, right?" Marik asked.

I frowned, "Why not?"

"I'm not Christian, Bakura. I'm Muslim."

Oh, well this I didn't know. It never actually occurred to me that someone I knew might not celebrate Christmas. But still, wasn't the whole point of the holiday to give? Maybe I could still do something for Marik.

"Well, I still got you something," I said, climbing down his bed and headed towards my backpack. I silently muttered the book title and the present zoomed into my hand. I waited until Marik had both his feet on the ground until I tossed it to him.

"You didn't have to get me anything," he commented, eying the wrapping paper oddly.

"Yeah, well I didn't know any better, so just take it anyways," I told him, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably.

Marik gave me an odd look, but tore the paper off anyways. His eyes lit up when he saw the cover.

"You remembered!" he smiled, "You actually – is this your copy?"

"I've read _Dune_ twenty times already. I've pretty much got it memorized."

"Must be pretty good, then. Thanks, fluffy." I twitched slightly at the nickname.

"Don't push it, brat. There's only so much Christmas spirit to go around," I growled.

But Marik was already reading the back cover, "You really didn't need to give me this, you know. "

I bit my lip, "You're the first person I've given a gift to. Ever."

He looked up and there was something that wasn't quite pity in his eyes. Then the door was wrenched open.

It was Mako and Rex, each singing a different version of Jingle Bells (Rex's was much more offensive). The pair of us were dragged out outside, down the hall, and into their room where all of our friends were sitting on any available surface.

Mana giggled, "What took you guys so long?"

"I think they were having a bromance moment," Mako answered for us. I elbowed him in the ribs.

We all started exchanging gifts. I had to go back to my room to grab my backpack, but when I came back wrapping paper had already littered the floor. Marik looked stunned at the pile of gifts that had landed in his lap, continuously muttering that we "didn't need to get him anything." Maybe he felt bad that he had nothing to give us in return.

Mai explained to him, "Christmas isn't about receiving, Marik, it's about giving. And we're celebrating it by giving you things, because you're our friend."

I don't think I've ever seen anyone blush that hard before. Marik looked like a tomato with blonde fuzz on top.

From Mana I got some chocolates from the store that her current foster parents owned. Strings had burned us all our own CDs depending on what music we liked. Rex and Weevil collaborated on their gifts. We all had a good laugh when we unwrapped copies of _101 Magic Tricks That'll Liven Up Any Party_ and false hands. Then there was Mako, who'd actually written a bunch of short children's stories about a fisherman and his son.

"I plan on getting published before I leave Atlantis," he explained, "I thought you all like a sneak peak."

I wondered it this was Mako's way of talking to his father now that he was gone.

Mai, ever the fashion-esta, had purchased us all clothing. I received very warm, black trench coat. Taped to the inside was a note, "Because your old one looks like it's going to fall apart, Mai."

I hugged her. She'd known exactly what I needed and went out of her way to get it for me. I whispered my thanks into her shoulder.

"No problem, Bakura," she muttered back.

"You're all coming over to my place during the summer," Marik blurted out just then.

"What?"

"Marik!"

"What do you –"

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he squared his shoulders, "You're coming over to my place during the summer."

He looked surprisingly like his sister, Ishizu, just then. We all found ourselves agreeing.

And here, surrounded by my friends, I declared it to be the best Christmas EVER!

* * *

It was around lunchtime that I decided to head upstairs and give Atem her present. I knew that her room was on the top floor, she'd mentioned it earlier last week. Unlike her though, I was planning on using the elevator to reach the top.

Evlatators? Really, Atem? I laughed at the memory.

The doors opened with their trademark pinging sound. And there, waiting for the elevator, was Solomon Moto.

"Oh, Bakura," the man's eyes, still that deep purple I remembered from our first meeting, "Why are you doing up here?"

"I was looking for Atem," I told him.

"Atem?" he looked surprised, "I'm afraid she might not be up to having visitors at the moment, my boy."

"Why not?"

"She's come down with a terrible cold. Atem's never been very healthy, as long as I've known her. Apparently, she had a bad run in with a Death Touch when she was younger and never really recovered," Moto explained.

My stomach flip-flopped. Atem _had_ fought a Death Touch – it wasn't just in my dream. And even after twelve hundred years, she was still feeling the effects of that fight.

"Sir, what exactly is a Death Touch?" I had to know, "I've heard of them before, but…"

"A Death Touch, Bakura, is a lot like a Necromancer or a Seer," Moto said, "But instead of being an Overpower for Summoning or Enchantment, they come from the Medicine branch. Death Touches lead some of the most miserable lives ever, as they cannot touch another living thing without attempting to kill it. They naturally produce viruses in their blood stream and pass them on to whomever they come in contact with.

"Atem must have been touched by one before, and didn't get a Medic user in time. Poor girl, as if she doesn't have enough to deal with already…"

I gripped the wrapped gift in my hands tightly. She'd _lied_ to me. Atem said that she was alright, that what the Death Touch had done to her no longer effected her. And yet, hundreds of years later, she was still suffering! How were we supposed to trust each other if she kept lying?

Wait. What was I thinking? Atem hadn't lied to _me_. I needed to stop getting confused about who was who in those dreams I was having. The slave-boy wasn't me; why couldn't I understand that?

Why didn't I want to understand that?

"Is there something else you needed, Bakura?" Moto brought me back to reality. I shook my head.

"Which one's her room? I'll just knock and leave this for her."

He pointed me to the door at the far end of the hall. I knocked on her door. At first I didn't hear anything, then there was a shuffling and a moan. The door opened up.

She looked horrible.

Well, she looked better than she did in my dream, but still it was pretty awful.

Atem's nose as red, her face was pale, and she looked like she hadn't slept in a week. Her eyes were dull, but gained a little spark when she saw me.

"What do you needed, Bakura?"

Not wanting to bother her anymore than I needed to, I held out her gift, "This is for you."

She reached for it slowly, "Why?"

"It's Christmas," I explained to her, while thinking, _"Déjà vu, much?"_

"I know it's Christmas," Atem raised an eyebrow, "It's hard to travel through Europe and not figure out what the holiday is about. Why are you giving this to me?"

Okay, not the answer I was expecting, "I just wanted to thank you, I guess."

"If this is about my coming here to teacher you, Bakura, I have already told you. There is no need to thank me, I am merely doing my job."

"Still," I paused for a moment as she started to cough, then began again "thanks. For everything."

I felt a bit embarrassed. I felt very self-conscious, very aware of my messy hair and twig-like body. I didn't know what was causing it and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

I tried – _and_ _failed_ – not to squirm.

"Come in," Atem gestured with a nod. I felt my feet move, but wasn't aware that I'd given them a command.

I remembered her room, from the dreams I'd had; it was clean, but mainly because I – _the slave-boy_ – was in charge of cleaning it. This room, however, was actually quite messy. Hand drawn maps littered the walls with scribbled notes around the edges, the desk littered with papers and open notebooks. Old clothing was pilled in a corner, while there seemed to be a shrine dedicated to some Mayan god that I was unable to name or recognize.

Atem sat on her bed and started to pull at the wrapping.

"If there a Mayan celebration or something around this time of year?" I asked.

"We run on a completely different calendar from the one used now," she answered, "The dates never seem to coincide with one holiday or another."

"Oh."

She continued, "Besides, most of the celebrations included sacrificing an animal or person to a God. I don't think you'd approve of something like that."

"Can't say I'd be comfortable with it," I replied, "You…don't still do that, do you?"

Atem sighed, though it came out ragged and wet, "No. I stopped doing that a long time ago. It's what got us all into this mess…"

She didn't seem to be talking to me when she said that line. I wondered what she meant by it.

"A book?" she asked. I saw that she'd finally torn the paper off.

"Yeah, I thought you'd like it."

"I don't," there was another round of coughing, "I don't usually have much time to read books, but thank you anyways, Bakura. I will definitely read it."

Then she rose, "It is tradition, is it not, to receive something in return?"

"Ah," I was surprised, not expecting this, "You – you don't have to, I just-"

But she was already moving paper around on her desk, searching for something. In her haste, a wooden box fell on the floor.

"I'll get that for you," I said, bending down to pick it up.

It was heavier than it looked. Inside, were several trinkets that I guessed she had picked up over the years. Atem said, after all, that she travelled a lot.

The lid was open and I moved to close it, but something caught my eye. It was a small ink drawing. It looks Asian and very old, as the paper was going to fall apart. It was a drawing of a samurai. He looked like something out of an anime with his kimono and katana sword. And his face-

I nearly dropped the box. Touzoku, it was Touzoku.

"Here you go," Atem said, having finally found what she was looking for, "It's a charm to protect you against your enemies."

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's a bat."

"No – no, not that," I was getting really freaked out. Why did she have a drawing of someone who lived in my head? I held up the box, "This? What's this?"

Atem glanced at the box and her eyes grew sad, "Those, Bakura, are some of my greatest regrets."

Gingerly, I placed it back on the table and pushed it away. Why was this happening to me? Why were things from my dreams – _from my own mind_ – popping out into the real world? Why wasn't anyone telling me anything?

"Why a bat?" I asked, trying to bring back a sense of normalcy.

"Bats are the guardians of the Underworld," Atem explained, "They represent the faint line between good and evil, if there is a line at all. Bats show that everyone has darkness in them, just as much as they have light."

I took the charm from her, turning it over with my hands.

"Thanks," I told her, "But do you have any charms for healing?"

She looked confused, "I would not use a charm. I would visit a follower of Ahau Chamahez, the God of healing. Why? Are you ill?"

"No, but you obviously are," I laughed, "Why are you cooped up here when Kisara or Ishizu could fix you up in a heart beat?"

Atem tried to shake her head, but stopped, looking dizzy, "Once Medicine magic has been applied to someone, the effects are permanent. No healing can be undone."

"But couldn't the Healer do anything for you at the time?"

She frowned, "Healer? Medics haven't been called Healers in a hundred years."

Idiot! I shouldn't have said something; now she suspected something and I didn't know how to answer any questions she might have. I just hoped my shock didn't show too badly on my face.

No such luck apparently, "Why did you say Healer, Bakura?"

"I…I just thought that's what they were called, that's all," I stuttered, backing towards the door. I tripped, falling backwards. Something fell out of my pocket, but I didn't care.

Atem looked positively frightening. Nothing – _not Wheeler or Taylor when they cornered me in the hallways at school or Rafael's calm face and double-bladed axe or Ishizu's threats_ – had ever scared me like this before. She carried with her an ancient power, infinitely old and long forgotten, and she knew how to use it.

"Ishizu would have addressed herself as a Medic in her classes. Why did you say Healer, Bakura?"

I did the only thing I could. I turned and ran for the door, sprinted towards the elevator and jammed the button for the fourth floor. I swore to myself, in that little metal box, that I would never _ever_ say something from those dreams again.

I wasn't a slave. I wasn't her slave. The dreams weren't real.

And even if they were, what did I have to do with them?

* * *

**Hello again!**

**I'd like to thank my reviewers: Yaminisu, EgyptianSoul.88, Coolaloo, Malik'sStalker, Akikee, and Danyeda Goofy Panterita.**

**I'd also like to thank SRRH for posting on the forum.**

**It seems that Bakura's gotten himself in a little trouble. Touzoku is real and the things in his dreams are getting really bad. Things are picking up!**

**If you have any questions or comments, either review or leave a post on the forum.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	13. Never Going Back

**The Others: The First Year**

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Never Going Back**

_Friday, December 30th, 2016_

Holy shit!

I dodged left, rolling on the ground to get out of the way of Rafael's murderous axe. It swung down, taking a chunk out of the floor before it was up and swinging again. I was convinced; this behemoth of a fifth year was really trying to kill me.

Rafael hadn't taken the 'coward' comments that I'd thrown at him in my first month too well and now I was paying for it. And Kaiba wasn't _freaking helping!_

"You'll never win anything by being on the constant defense, Bakura," go to hell Kaiba, I'm trying not to die over here!

I leapt to my feet and blocked the next strike with my knife. It didn't even crack; Atem's magic was so strong that it had lasted over a millennium after the original spell had been cast. I flipped over Rafael's head and slashed at his neck. Missed! Damn it!

Move! Left, right, duck down! Roll, stab, blocked!

Sweat dripped down my face and I cursed not doing much physical activity up until now. But then again, how was I to know half a year ago that I'd soon be fighting a giant with an axe?

Oh crap! The blade came down again, smashing into the spot I'd been in seconds before. I leapt upwards and clung to one of the hanging light fixtures on the ceiling.

"Come down here, Necromancer," Rafael said, toneless as usual.

"No way," I gasped for air, "Sparing is one thing; what you're doing is another. You're going to kill me if this keeps up."

He shrugged, smirking as he did so. It wasn't a nice smirk or even a joking one. It was cruel and resentful. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Rafael wasn't actually _trying_ to kill me, right?

And then he threw the axe. Threw it. He fucking threw it at me_ - oh fucking shit!_

The pole attached to the light snapped when the blade hit it. Rafael's weapon lodged itself in the ceiling as I fell down. I landed awkwardly, something important in my leg snapped.

Pain lanced up my leg, red hot fire that had nothing to do with the fact that Combat magic was running through my veins. I cried out and Kaiba moved to stop the fight.

Rafael lunged at me, "Die, Necromancer scum!"

I felt the tackle before I realized what had happened. Rafael pinned me beneath him, grabbed me by the hair and jaw and _oh god, he was going to snap my neck!_ Help me, help me, somebody -

* * *

_I_ guess that's _my_ cue.

Without the landlord, _I_ - _we_ - didn't exist. Without him, _I'd_ end up back in the Realm for another two hundred years. _I'd_ been there once already. _I_ didn't plan on going back.

The landlord didn't know how much _we'd_ learned by just being in his mind. As the Princess taught him about Necromancy, _we_ learned about it as well.

The landlord wasn't going to die, not if _I_ had anything to say about it. _I_ stepped out of _my_ door and locked his. He didn't need to see this.

After all, outward spirits weren't the only things that could possess a Necromancer. Inward ones could as well.

* * *

- suddenly I was on the other side of the room.

"Huh? Bakura, how'd you get over here?" Marik asked. My answer was a pained whine. His eyes widened, "Kisara!"

The Medic ran over, "Sorry! Sorry! Aaron just doesn't know how to stay out of - Bakura? I thought that you were over there fighting Rafael..."

She leaned over me and placed a glowing hand over my leg. I could feel the bones in my leg moving and coming together once again. A few months ago, I would have freaked my out. Now I was used to it.

Kisara stood up when she finished and nearly backed into Seto Kaiba, who had the weirdest look on his face. It was a cross between seething anger and utter fear.

"How did you do it?" his blue eyes flashed.

"Do what?"

"Instant teleportation," Kaiba explained, "You used Instant Teleportation to get away from Rafael. I saw you."

Marik looked confused, "Instant Teleportation isn't possible, though. Teleportation always takes time when you travel."

But the teacher wasn't listening. Kaiba was looking at the blade in my hand, "That knife, where did you get it?"

I rose from my position on the ground, "It was on the table when you had us choose our weapons. Why?"

"Why did you choose it?" he was in my face now, shaking my shoulders. I knocked his hands off.

"Magic chose it for me, like it did for everyone else. Calm down."

He took a step back, muttering under his breath, "...god...white hair...red eyes...why didn't I notice..."

Kisara laid a hand on his arm and Kaiba relaxed immediately. She looked at him, "I think it would be best if Rafael didn't fight with Bakura again, Seto."

Kaiba nodded slowly. He turned to her, "Keep an eye on him."

I didn't know if he was talking about Rafael or me.

* * *

Teleportation is considered to be a Summoning Spell. When you Teleports, you actually take an impromptu trip through the outskirts of the Shadow Realm, the blackness I immerse myself in when I Summon Sangan or Dark Necrofear. If I were to go into the Shadow Realm entirely, I'd probably never come out. Well...that is without help from the outside...

However, Teleportation is an interesting bit of Summoning because of the time delay between when you leave this realm and when you re-enter at your destination. To travel from D.C. to Hawaii would probably take about ten or so minutes. I know, it's definitely an improvement from the nine to ten hour flight, but there is some hazards to staying too long in the Realm. In the best-case scenario, you might lose a few recent memories; worst case, you come out a vegetable.

Supposedly, there is a way to get around going into the Shadow Realm. It's called Instant Teleportation, and instead of using Summoning magic, you use Combat.

There are drawbacks, of course. Since Instant Teleportation is really just incredibly quick movement from place to place, you need to be looking at exactly where you're going. Travel has to take place in a straight line, as taking a left mid-flight can result in a severe case of whiplash that may even take your head off. However, it can be used over and over again without the fear of entering the Realm.

Only one person has ever been able to use Instant Teleportation; in fact, he was the very man who invented it. For some reason, no one ever dreams of him, so very little people even know the spell exists. It's like he's been written out of history, out of magic. The only reason that people even know about him is because his teacher and closest friend is still walking around, talking about him.

Atem still has the ring Akeifa gave her; its just not on the fourth finger of her left hand, as he wanted it to be, but in her little box of regrets.

* * *

_Saturday, December 31st, 2016_

There were just a few minutes left until midnight. A new year would be upon us soon. I'd say good-bye to the best year of my life and welcome one that promised to be just as awesome.

We congregated in the cafeteria, waiting for the fireworks to appear in the sky just outside the window. Marik was taping the whole thing on his phone, as were several other people. I wish I'd thought of that idea myself, but I couldn't seem to find the thing. Bah! I'll look for it tomorrow.

Atem managed to come down from her room. She still looked sick and was nursing a mug of steaming tea. Unlike the rest of the staff, who were gazing up at the computer screens watching the New Years Countdown, her nose was in a small paperback book. _My_ book, I realized. She was actually going to read it after all!

Mana grabbed me and pulled me into a hug when the clock struck twelve. I practically lifted her off the ground returning it. People were cheering and embracing each other, happy that they were together with people who cared; that they were no longer alone.

However, I had to turn away at the sight of Ishizu and Mahad kissing. Watching your teachers do that was just...weird as hell...ew, much.

Food and drinks were passed around and we watched as the sky flashed with brilliant reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Marik had passed me a pair of sunglasses so that I could see the whole show of bright lights without wincing. It was amazing, I'd never done anything like this before.

I smiled, happy and content. This was where I belonged.

* * *

_Sunday, January 1st, 2017_

Where the hell was it?

I'd torn apart the room I shared with Marik looking for my phone. He was helping, but there was still nothing. I really didn't need this now. There was only a few minutes left before they started calling out names to PORT out of here. I knew I shouldn't have left this to the last minute!

"When was the last time you saw it?" Marik asked, "Were you in one of the classrooms?"

I shook my head, "Nah, I keep it in my backpack during class. The last time I saw it was…"

I blinked; it has been in my pocket when I went to see Atem to give her gift to her. I hadn't seen it afterwards…

Had it fallen out then?

I told Marik what I was thinking and rushed down the hallways towards the lift. There were a few business people in suits in there already that looked down their noses at me. I sneered back at them and pushed the button for the hundredth floor.

You think they'd be a bit subtler when whispering about someone who was standing feet away from them in an elevator. But no, I was treated to their gossip ("Who does this kid think he is, going up to the top floor so casually?") until they got off on the twenty-eighth.

It was quiet the rest of the way up.

The doors opened with a ping and I rushed to her room. I knocked on the door, trying not to think of the last time I was there. While Atem had been reading my book late last night (this morning?), I didn't know whether she was still whatever she was when I said "Healer."

No one answered, but her door was unlocked. I crept into the room, eyes sweeping over the surface of her desk and bedside table for my phone. There it was, sitting on her bed, with a little note beside it. It was written in the strangest hieroglyphics I'd ever seen in my life; I guessed that they were Mayan.

I stuffed the phone in my pocket as a sound came from a door I'd never noticed before. It looked like it led to a connecting room, like the kind you see in hotels. It was slightly ajar and light peeked through from the other side.

I crept closer and the sound became a voice. More specifically, it became Kaiba's voice.

"You knew, damn it, you knew," his words came out as a harsh whisper, "You knew the moment you saw him. Why didn't you tell me?"

"What makes you think that I realized it myself?" it was Atem this time.

"Don't play games with me. He's got white hair and red eyes. The boy even carries your knife around."

It took me a moment to realize that Kaiba was talking about me. I swallowed, suddenly filled with the knowledge that I shouldn't be listening to this conversation. I pressed myself closer to the door.

Atem didn't answer straight away, "I didn't think I'd see him again. There had been six before him, one for each branch of magic. And they'd appeared about two hundred years apart from each other. He should have appeared in the 20th century, not the 21st."

"It doesn't matter when they appear, mother," my jaw dropped, realizing that Kaiba had called Atem his _mom_, "It's when they're born. Ryou Bakura was born on September 2nd, 1999; that's enough to put him in the two hundred year range, isn't it?"

He continued, "You used to tell Mokuba and I stories about him – what he'd become each time you met him. Why didn't you tell me that we have a soon-to-be murder walking the halls of this school?"

"If this battle turns into a war, like we think it will, then all the students in this school are soon-to-be murders, Seto. Just because the Bakuras I met in the past killed people, doesn't make this one a bad person."

My knees gave out and I slumped against the wall. Oh god…what were they talking about? Me, a murderer? No, no, this couldn't be true. I couldn't kill someone. Why did they think I would?

I nearly had a heart attack at Kaiba's next words, "You told me that Akeifa staged the coup against Robespierre's government in France during the Revolution, that he killed several other people – innocent people - to get to that point. He slaughtered them in a blink of an eye."

"The time Robespierre was in power was called the Reign of Terror of a reason, Seto," Atem countered, "You weren't there. Akeifa saved people by –"

"And what about Dark God?" Kaiba started again, "You were blamed for sinking those ships, but those were _his_ Summons."

"Dark God was wasn't well. He needed help. I tried –"

"And that sultan's brother wasn't poisoned, it only looked like he was. Soul Stealer robbed him of his mind and caused him to have a seizure."

"Seto, stop it, please," Atem sounded like she was going to cry, "You didn't know them –"

"Why are you defending them? They tried to kill you!"

There was silence. I couldn't hear myself breathing.

Kill? Kill Atem?

"Thief King," Kaiba started naming them, the voices in my head, "Touzoku, Game Master, Soul Stealer, Dark God, and Akeifa. They were all reincarnations of each other. They all went insane from the punishment of killing. They all tried to kill you and yet you defend them. Why, mother? Why?"

Her voice was barely there, "Why does this matter anyways? If Bakura turns out to be one of them, then he does. But he deserves a chance not to, to choose another path. Seto, my son, I'm begging you to let him stay."

"It matters because Bakura used Instant Teleportation the other day," Kaiba explained, "You said that spell died with Akeifa. But he used it."

"That's impossible."

"It's what I saw, mother," he growled, "What if Pegasus is correct, and there are things in his head that shouldn't be there? He's a Necromancer who's entered and re-entered the Shadow Realm more times than anyone in history before him. Who's to say that he doesn't remember being the murders that you're defending? Who's to say that he won't start killing again?"

I couldn't listen anymore. I ran from the room, ignoring the lift and ran down the stairs. I ran until my legs felt like they were going to fall off.

I had my backpack with me already, so I didn't need to go back to my room. I felt like I was going to throw up. Murderer. I was going to become a murder.

I wanted to claw at my mind and dig the others – the other Bakuras – out of there. That moment during Combat where I'd lot consciousness and ended up on the other side of the room, had I been remembering my past life as Akeifa? How much longer did I have before I started killing people like he did? Like they all did?

I was going to end up like them. I was going to be a murder. I was going to try and kill Atem one day.

But, the thought came to me suddenly: if I didn't learn enough magic to become powerful, then I might not be able to cause that much damage. If I stopped learning magic, then I'd be okay.

It was safer for everyone that way. I didn't want to stay away, but I had no other choice: I was never going back to Atlantis again.

* * *

_Tuesday, January 3__rd__, 2017_

Amane had a boyfriend.

I didn't realize it until yesterday, but apparently they'd been dating since the day after I'd picked her up from that party. It was that big, naked guy who was passed out on the couch. Keith Howard was his name, but Amane mentioned that everyone called him Bandit Keith.

He looked like the stereotypical macho-man and talked like he'd been hit in the head one to many times. Each word that came out of his mouth was slow and simple, like he had to think them through before saying them allowed. I bet he was in his mid-twenties, but he said he was nineteen.

And the worst thing was my parents loved him.

Mom was always talking about how cute they looked together, Amane clinging to Keith's arm and looking at him with sickening affection. It was almost comical. Keith was both taller and wider than my sister. She looked so tiny sitting next to him, it was ridiculous.

But I had eyes, and I could see the way that bastard looked at my sister. There was only lust in his gaze; he wanted her body, nothing more. He was playing her for a fool. I wanted to kill –

I nearly stabbed myself with my fork to keep me from completing that thought. I felt the blood drain from my face. Kill? I wanted to kill Keith "Bandit" Howard?

Memories of Sunday came back and all I could think about was Kaiba talking to Atem, telling her that I was going to start killing people. Was this it? Was this the start of my future as a murderer?

My parents were sitting in the front room with Amane and her boy-toy, talking away about stupid things like what Keith was studying in college and where the two of them met. Their high-pitched laughter came through the walls and into the kitchen where I was eating. It made me grind my teeth together.

Finally, just as I was putting my plate in the dishwasher, I heard the conversation switch to me.

"So who's the guy in the other room?" Keith asked. I could just picture him pulling Amane close and looking at her with false-affection.

"Oh him," my father said, "Don't mind him. He isn't around much."

"Ryou's my…" I heard my sister pause and the next word came out rather forced, "brother."

"Like I said, the boy's not around much," dad explained.

"He's dangerous," my mother tried to whisper, but it came out louder than the rest of them, "Don't talk to him, Keith. He'll drag you down to his level."

My fists clenched. I wanted nothing more than to go into that room and –

_Yes,_ a voice hissed in the back of my mind. I recognized it as Game Master, sadistic and evil. _You want to do what?_

"Shut up," I growled, "I'm not like you."

_I never said you were,_ Game Master said again, _You will never be like us because you have to potential to be greater than any other us. So, what do you want to do to them?_

"Shut up!" I yelled again. I grabbed on of the glasses and hurled it at the wall. It smashed and the shards clattered to the floor.

"I'm not like you! I'll never be like you!"

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

"Fuck off, Amane."

I didn't want to deal with her now, her or her stupid boyfriend. I stomped over to the wall and bent down, picking up the larger shards of glass. I swore loudly as a sharp edge cut into my finger.

"Here," she said, wetting a paper towel and kneeling beside me, "You'll take a finger off next time if you keep at it that way."

Amane swept the towel across the floor, collecting the smaller pieces that I'd missed.

"Go away, Amane," I muttered, "Go back to your boyfriend. He's probably missing having his hand on your ass by now."

"Hey!" she snapped, "Don't talk about Keith like that! He's not a perv, he's different from the others."

"You say that about every boy you bring home," it was true. Every time Amane introduced her family (that is, mom and dad and sure as hell not me) to her most recent boyfriend, I heard those same words, "Face it Amane, the only reason he's interested in you is because of what you look like beneath your clothes."

I heard the sound of her palm meeting my face before I realized that she'd slapped me. The sting didn't even register as pain in comparison to the hurt I saw on her face.

"How dare you!" she looked like she wanted to strangle me right then and there.

"It's the truth and you know it," maybe if she realized this now, Amane would break off their relationship. Though I had a feeling that Bandit Keith wasn't used to being bumped.

Tears welled in her eyes, "Well, at least I have someone. Who'd…" she paused, much like she had before when she's told Keith I was her brother, "Who'd want to be with you? You're such a jerk."

Then she ran out of the room, back to her boyfriend. I could hear them saying their good-byes in the front hall as I shoved the wet ball of towel and glass into the rubbish bin.

Amane was right. Who'd ever want to be with me anyways? I was sarcastic and harsh, and I wasn't exactly A-class boyfriend material. The only girls I really cared about were Mai and Mana and they weren't exactly going to happen anyways. Mai was so totally out of my league and I'd caught Mana staring at Marik a lot as of late.

I was being stupid. I wasn't going back to Atlantis anyways, so what was I doing worrying about if Mai or Mana would want to go out with me. I was going to stay here and live out my life in Domino, just like I had been before I'd ever heard of Atlantis. I was going to go back to my life before Solomon Moto walked through my door, before I met Marik, before Atem showed me how not be afraid of my gift.

But now I was afraid again. I was scared of magic, of the things that had been done before my birth that I had no control over. I hated that feeling and I hated the thought of not going back to Atlantis.

I just hated the thought of killing people more.

* * *

"_You don't need to worry about her. The princess will recover soon."_

_I scoffed at the Healer's assistant, a pretty slave girl who I had just met, "I'm not worried about her."_

_She smiled, "Of course not. And that's why you haven't left her side since she got here."_

_Damn that woman for being so perceptive. Not that I was worried or anything, I just wanted to know why Atem lied to me. And she was going to tell me the moment she woke up._

_The slave girl hummed away as she replaced the damp cloth on the princess's forehead, "She's recover, but she's never be healthy again."_

_This got my attention, "What do you mean?"_

"_She came to my master too late," she explained, "While the princess is formidable in Warrior magic, she is no Healer. Without being treated regularly, she won't live a long life."_

_The girl sighed, "But still, a Death Touch attacking her. How did you know that's what happened?"_

"_I was there," I said, "I saw her get touched. But she said she was fine…"_

"_You were…there," she sounded astounded, "How did you survive?"_

"_Dumb luck, I suppose," along with a bunch of magic that I wasn't supposed to possess and back up from Atem. I changed the subject, "Why is the King scared of Shamans with extra powers?"_

_The girl looked away from the herbs she was grinding, "You don't look old enough to know of the Purge. It started the day the current King took the throne. His father, may he find rest, was assassinated by a Shape Changer._

"_The Shape Changer took the form of the former King's late wife. The man actually believed that she'd come back from the dead, right up until the moment when she killed him._

"_King Acalan declared war against the Children of Toltex, an underground brotherhood of Shamans that took credit for the former King's assassination. Mostly comprised of those who had extra powers, there was no question in the King's mind that this was the group who killed with father."_

"_So what happened afterwards?" I asked._

"_What do you think?" she asked, "King Acalan has his soldiers sweep through the country and kill anyone who possessed those powers. He also banded the use of magic amongst slaves. It is called a Purge for a reason."_

"_And he killed them? All of them?" But then how was it possible that the old man, the Death Touch who attacked Atem and I, was still alive?_

_The girl rolled her eyes, "He said he did. But then again, the King was the one who was ordering the killing, so he wasn't about to say that he missed a few. I think a couple managed to escape, hid themselves away, and are waiting for their change to strike again. Or rather…they _were_ waiting for their chance, because they've definitely made a first strike."_

_A noise came from the bed beside me. I looked down and saw eyes like dried blood._

"_You're awake," I commented on the obvious, as Atem lifted the damp cloth from her head. She made a sound, but no real words came out. I understood what she wanted. There was a water skin on the Healer's desk. I grabbed it and gave it to her._

_When she coughed up the first swallow, I took it from her and helped her drink._

"_Thanks," Atem whispered. I nodded and put the skin down beside them. The slave girl left to go alert the head Healer._

_I took my chance, "Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_Why didn't you tell me you were still sick?"_

_She looked off to the side, embarrassed, "You…wouldn't have cared."_

"_I –" I sputtered, trying to think of something to say to that. I shouldn't have cared, but I did. Maybe it was because she knew that I was a Shaman. Maybe it was because we could both see spirits, because we were both going to be killed by her father if we were ever found out._

_Maybe it was because she was the first person to hold me since my mother when I was five._

"…_I don't like it when people lie to me…" I was a pathetic answer, but it was all I had. When she said nothing, I continued, "I knew something was wrong. If you'd told me, we could have gotten you help."_

"_It's not that bad, Bakura."_

"_Damn it, Atem," I grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around, "The Healer says you're going to have to be medicated for the rest of your natural life because you didn't get treated properly. So why didn't you tell anyone? Do you want to die so badly?"_

_She looked at me, just then, and I could see it in her eyes. She _did_ want to die, for what reason was beyond me. It was frightening; I'd never seen anyone who wanted to die so badly._

"_If I died on the trip, I wouldn't have had to tell my father about my failure," Atem whispered, "I wouldn't have had to face him."_

"_You stupid idiot," I growled, "You stupid, stupid girl. Don't say things like that."_

_Atem smiled sadly, and something in my chest hurt, "All right."_

_The Healer came in, followed by the slave girl from before. He barked an order that I didn't catch at her and then waved a glowing yellow hand over the princess. I backed up and watched from a far._

_The Healer relied most of the information I'd already told her, so I bit my tongue to keep myself from making a comment that'll get the choke collar activated. I nearly jumped when the King came in, followed closely by the girl._

"_I will to talk to my daughter alone," King Acalan snapped, "Get out."_

_As I stepped out of the room, I reached out and touched the girl's wrist. She turned._

"_I'm Bakura," I introduced myself, "What's your name?"_

_She blinked, "You don't know?"_

"_Should I?"_

"_Slaves who are born into captivity have no names," she said._

_I didn't know how to take that. How could someone not have a name? And yet, now that I thought about it, I didn't really know the names for most of the other slaves I worked with. Maybe they didn't have them either._

_As she was walking away back to her business, I called after her once more, "Ix Chel."_

"_Excuse me?" she asked, confused._

"_That what I'll call you from now on. Ix Chel," I grinned._

_She – Ix Chel – smiled back warmly, "I'd like that."_

_She turned away again and this time I let her go. Having a friend in the palace might not be so bad._

_It's not like I was in a hurry to leave this place anymore._

* * *

**I really, really, hope you guys aren't going to kill me for leaving you on a cliff hanger like this...**

**In other news, I'd like to thank my reviewers: Yaminisu, Malik'sStalker, Akikee, Yuui, and Coolaloo. I thank you all for sticking with me so far.**

**A special shout out goes to SRRH who commented on my forum and _almost_ guessed at the real relationship between Atem and the Bakuras. SRRH, if you are reading this: I am still grinning.**

**So some of the mystery behind the voices in Bakura's head has been revealed. They were real people once and very powerful magic users. Once every 200 years, they show up and create chaos. But wait...I thought Atem was the one that did that? Isn't that what Mai was telling us about what she saw in her dreams? Hmm...**

**Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, Ix Chel is not an original character; she's from canon. However, Bakura doesn't know her actual name, so he's taken to calling her Ix Chel after the Mayan jaguar goddess of medicine and midwifery. Who she really is will be revealed eventually.**

**If you have a comment, question, or concern, you can reach me by leaving a review, commenting on my forum, or sending me a PM. Either way, I love to hear from you guys.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	14. Human

**The Others: The First Year**

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

Warning: Mentions of underaged drinking, sex with minors, drug use, death, and incestuous relationships.

_To SRRH and her roommate,  
For making me smile in the middle of a tough week  
If you want the movie deal, it's all yours_

* * *

**Chapter 14: Human**

_Friday, January 6th, 2017_

I couldn't take it anymore. Do you know how hard it is, going to a place where everything is perfect, where you're accepted for who you are, and then to have it wrenched away from you? It's even worse when you do it to yourself. I want to go back to Atlantis, but I can't. I won't, because if I do, I'll become like them.

Like Akeifa, who murdered his way through Robespierre's government, or Dark God, who destroyed trade ships for fun or any of the others. I didn't want to be like them.

How could I be so selfish? Wanting to go back to Atlantis would spell doom for all the people I cared about. I couldn't risk that, but still...Atlantis was my home. Atlantis was my life.

Ms. Madusa stood at the front of the classroom, practically flirting her way through her lecture. It was disgusting the way she looked at the guys in the front row - like they were fresh meat. Like all she wanted to do was sink her teeth into them.

I hated it here.

The bell rang and I robotically collected my bags and headed out of the classroom. Wheeler shoved me to the floor as he passed me by, not even pausing to look back. I ground my teeth; did he know who he was messing with?

Did he know what I could do to him? Did he know the risks of picking a fight with me? Especially now, when I was pissed the hell off and could make him see things for the rest of his life or throw him through a wall. I was dangerous, why couldn't he see that and leave me alone?

The light above Wheeler exploded in a shower of sparks and glass. The hallway filled with the screeches of terrified girls and the swears of guys. Wheeler's jacket started to smoke; I panicked.

The sprinkler system went off, and I was pretty sure that I caused that too. Water poured down from the ceiling, soaking us through our clothes. I couldn't think, couldn't hear the screaming or the cursing or Ms. Madusa's cries as her mascara began to run down her face. All that mattered was that I had to get out of here before I had another accidental burst of magic.

I tried to run, but Wheeler caught me by the back of my shirt, "Was 'dis your doin', freak?"

His accent was back, so he must be seeing red. The sprinklers were turned off, but the ground was still wet. When he dropped me, my feet slipped out from under me and I toppled backwards.

"L-leave me alone," I cried. Nothing was broken or bruised, but I had to get away from him.

Wheeler wouldn't let me. He pushed me back to the floor when I tried to get up again, "I said, was 'dis your doin'?"

I searched for an opening to get up and leave, but, god fucking damn it, the sharks were back. I was closed in, "I didn't do anything, leave me alone."

"No," he leered, "I'm gonna kick your ass."

And things just went down hill from there. Two nameless thugs that I recognized as being on the football team grabbed me from behind, wrenching my backpack off me and pinning my arms behind me back. Wheeler stepped towards me, fist clenched and - son of a shit!

I felt like I going to puke when he slammed his punch into my stomach. My legs sagged as my knees gave out. Wheeler brought his hand back again. I braced myself for impact.

"Joey, no! Stop it!"

The voice of Serenity, Wheeler's kind hearted sister, made me open my eyes. She'd grabbed Joey's arm, holding him back from throwing the punch. Tears were in her eyes, "You don't need to do that. Stop it."

Wheeler didn't struggle against her. He sighed, almost disappointed that he _couldn't_ continue to beat the crap out of me. He turned to the guys holding me up, "Let him go."

The arms disappeared and I fell to the ground once more. I hacked up bile as my stomach began to bruise. Wheeler towered over me, "Next time, freak, you won't be so lucky."

The sharks began to turn away and go back to their lives. I could hear Wheeler's footsteps as he left

Long auburn invaded my vision and soft hands helped me to my feet. Serenity stood in front of me, trembling at the idea of being this close to me but strong enough to bare the weight of the Ward. Heh, if she wasn't so skittish, I could probably end up liking her.

Then something burned in the back of my throat, "I'm gonna throw up..."

I rushed into the washroom, wrenching open the cubical door and bracing myself on the toilet. I coughed up the contents of my stomach. Hands thread through my hair and held it out of my face.

"You shouldn't be here," I told Serenity.

"I live with my brother and father," she answered, "The boy's washroom is nothing in comparison."

I almost laughed, but bent over the bowl again. Another wave of sick came up. I remembered Ishizu's words from one of her lessons, _"If you get hit in the stomach hard enough, you can take severe damage your organs. In the best case scenario, you'll start to vomit. Worst case, you rupture your aorta; that could end up killing you."_ I guess I got lucky.

"That's not what I mean," I said, "You shouldn't be around me. I'm not safe."

"Why?"

"I'm a monster," I hoped she see sense and go away, go back to her boyfriend or brother or her friends. I hoped that she see the spirits - the murderers - that lurked in my mind and see that I was going to become one of them.

"I don't think your a monster," she countered, "A real monster wouldn't warn people away from him."

"Please, just leave," I was begging her. I'd attacked her brother already, what if Serenity was next, "Go away. I don't want to end up hurting you, too."

"You didn't cause that light to explode," she laughed, "That was an accident."

But I did. I was me, I did it. I got so angry and I could have killed Joey Wheeler, just like I wanted to kill Keith Howard.

Serenity just wouldn't believe me, "I don't think you're a bad person. Misunderstood, maybe. But not bad."

"Then why are you scared of me?" I asked, "Why is it that every time you look at me, you start to shake? There's a good reason for that, Serenity. You should listen to your gut for once."

She flinched, "I don't understand why I feel that way. I shouldn't, but I do. Why is that?"

I considered tell her, but knew that I couldn't. It would only confirm her fears, and I don't think I could handle it if her face crumpled into a look of utter terror. If I tried hard enough, I could imagine that Serenity was Mana. They were about the same size and had similar hair colours. I didn't want Mana to be afraid of me.

"Serenity!" Duke Devlin called from outside, "Hey, where are you?"

"I should go," she whispered. I nodded silently. She reached out and touched my face. There was no trembling in her hand, "I wish I wasn't so scared of you. You'd be a good friend."

And then she was gone. I crumpled in on myself and wished that I wasn't Ryou Bakura. I wished that I wasn't me.

* * *

According to Atem, the Magical Sixth Sense originally developed from something she calls Fate. Fate was something that all Others had, and strangely enough, could not be traced to any branch of magic. It was the connection to magic itself that made Fate possible.

As I've mentioned before, magic is a living being. There are points in time where it takes interest in a certain person and forces them to do something that they wouldn't usually do. The signs that Fate is occurring come in the form of a feeling of dread in your gut or an undeniable urge to get away from where ever you are. Magic needs you to do something or go somewhere, so that what it wants to happen does and time changes course.

During the Hundred Years War, Fate transformed into the Sixth Sense and gave Others the ability to sense each others magic. But Fate still exists and can come into effect when we least expect it to.

I wonder sometimes, what my life would have been like if I'd never killed Keith "Bandit" Howard. But some part of me thinks that, even though that was the day I became a murderer, I wouldn't have changed it for the world.

* * *

_Saturday, January 7th, 2011_

Amane was out at another party. Keith had come over to pick her up, helping her sneak out of the house through her window. Something gnawed at my stomach; he had looked drunk or high, I couldn't tell which. And he had the most lecherous grin on his face when he saw what my sister was wearing.

I couldn't deny it, I was worried about Amane. I grabbed my long trench coat and pulled the up the hood over my hair, slipping out of my window and then onto the roof.

Headlights turned the corner of the road. I could hear the roar of the muscle car's engine from here. I hesitated for a moment, but then pumped Combat magic into my legs and leapt.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I followed along behind them. I kept up easily with the car, even thought they were going well over the speed limit. For a moment, I felt the freedom of my magic, the feeling that I could do anything. I shoved it back into the darkest recesses of my mind, where it belonged. I wasn't going back, damn it.

Keith turned into a driveway, the long winding ones that I associated with big houses. It was probably Duke's; he was obviously born into money.

I watched from my position on a thick tree branch as my sister and her boyfriend went inside. The loud music that seeped through the walls got even louder as the front door opened. My sister flipped her long hair over her shoulder and took off her coat, revealing a belly top and a jean skirt. I scowled at the sight of Keith's arm around her waist.

I entered through a window on the top floor. I crept down the stairs and tried to find my sister.

My stomach turned at the smell of alcohol and sweat. Bodies gyrated to the pounding music and glasses of amber liquid were passed around. I kept my hair hidden under my hood as I moved onto the floor.

Immediately, hands attached themselves to my body and dragged me into the crowd. I can't remember how many times that some girl tried to shove her hands down my pants or kiss me. I didn't want to remember; I felt disgusting just thinking about it. I moved away and sat on a chair off to the side.

Amane saw me before I saw her, but she didn't recognize me. She glanced at me and then sauntered over to where I was. I tried to avoid eye contact; she'd know who I was the moment she saw my eyes. Demonic red wasn't exactly a common colour.

"Hi there," she slurred, hammered already.

I made a non-committal noise, acknowledging her. She grinned and moved closer, "What are you doing all on your own?"

I looked up for a second and then down again. I could see right down the skimpy thing she wore as a shirt. I wanted her to hand her my coat and have her cover up. My sister shouldn't be showing off that much skin.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Amane's smile was sloppy, "S'okay. I'm so mad at my boyfriend. Come and dance with me."

She reached for my hand, but I pulled away quickly, "You're drunk."

"We're, like, all drunk, man," I didn't like the way she was looking at me. Amane was my sister; she shouldn't be checking me out, "Come on. I'll show you a good time."

Then she did something that made my brain implode: she tried to sit on my lap and...oh fucking shit! Alarm bells screamed in my head as her hand reached of the hem of my shirt.

I stood up suddenly, knocking her off of me. The movement made some of my hair fall out from where I was hiding it. Amane soundlessly mouthed, "Ryou?" and I disappeared back into the crowds.

Stupid! What was I doing here anyways? Amane was a big girl. She could handle being at these parties by herself. Why did I feel like I needed to check up on her? Stupid-stupid-stupid.

Someone tried to pull me into a drinking contest, but I sent them scurrying with a glare. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this crap. I should just get out of here.

But I couldn't reach the door. Each time I'd get close, someone's arm would reach out and grab me, hauling me back into the masses. The gnawing in my stomach got worse the more I tried to leave. Something was going to happen and I didn't like it.

Someone yelled. It carried over the loud music and in to my ears. It was Tristan Taylor's voice, "The hell, man? She said no, leave her alone."

I couldn't explain it, but I had to get over there to see what the commotion was about. I pushed and shoved my way over to where I'd heard the sound, back to where Amane was.

"No one says no to me, Tristan, let alone some Brit slut like her," it was Keith. I'd only heard his voice once or twice before, but some part of me knew that I'd remember that sound forever.

Taylor stood in front of my sister, shielding her from Keith. She leaned against the wall, swaying sluggishly to the music. Amane could never hold her liqueur. In fact, the only person I knew that was better at getting smashed was myself.

"I'm not in the mood, Keith," she grinned, obviously out of her mind, "Piss off."

The big man took a step forward, "You bitch, who that hell do you think you are? Who the hell was that guy you were with before?"

"Amane, don't answer that," Taylor shot back at her, knowing full well that that her mouth got the better of her when she was like this.

"I hate you," she slurred, "I haaate you, Keith. You're suuch a peeerrrrvvvv."

Keith shot forward, grabbing Taylor by the arm, "Get out of my way."

The next thing I knew, Taylor was sprawled on the ground and that bastard had Amane bent over a chair, her elbow twisted behind her back, "You're coming with me, Amy."

"Amane," she screamed, as she was dragged off "My naaaaame is Amane! Let me go, bastard!"

I spared a few seconds to make sure that Taylor was able to move, then dashed out after them. Anger welled in my chest. I'd vowed when I first saw that man that if he'd ever touched my sister, I'd -

Well, I'd never actually vowed anything, but that didn't mean that I wouldn't let this slide. No way, he was hurting Amane. No one touched my sister, not like that.

He'd taken her outside and shoved her into the car. Amane was yelling, but I couldn't hear it over the music. She clawed at the car window and kicked at Keith, not going quietly at all.

Amane must have spotted me, because a moment before the scumbag hit the gas, we locked eyes: demonic red to black. I saw her call out my name.

No. No, no, no - he was not going to hurt her, that son of a bitch. I'd kill myself before I'd let anything happen to Amane.

Combat magic exploded out of me and I hurled myself after him. He was not getting away. I wouldn't let him. He couldn't escape me. I was faster than him, stronger than him, better than him in every way. And he'd attacked something I'd deemed precious to me.

I followed the car into an alleyway. Keith reached into the backseat for Amane, but reeled back when she bit him. He clubbed her over the head with the back of her hand. I'd had enough.

I slammed into him with enough strength to take the car door off its hinges. Keith smashed into the wall behind him.

I looked back into the car backseat. Amane looked at me with wide eyes, shell shocked at what she'd just seen me do. I jerked my head towards the front seat, "You know how to drive?"

She nodded numbly. I never even considered that driving under the influence wasn't the best thing that Amane could do at this point. But I'd never gotten behind the wheel of a car before; I wouldn't know what to do in order to get her out of there.

As Amane scrambled into the driver's seat, Keith grabbed me from behind and threw me to the ground. He turned and growled at me, "You little shit!"

"Amane, drive!" I yelled at her, unsheathing my knife from the hostler on my leg. Fire ran through my veins, "Go! I'll hold him off."

She must have been terrified, because she drove of instantly instead of fighting with me. I lunged at Keith the moment she was gone, slashing upwards with my knife.

Keith was fast, so I missed him by millimeters. He staggered backwards, cursing and fumbling with something in the back of his pants. I'd seen that movement before, when Taylor tried to pull a gun on me three days before Solomon Moto showed up in my kitchen.

In a flash of silver, I was staring down the barrel of a revolver. I froze. Keith grinned menacingly, "You think you can fuck with me? Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are," I growled, "You're just some sick freak who thinks he can mess with my sister."

"I recognize you," he sneered, "You were the guy that she was all over earlier. Did that get you off? Your sister wanting to fuck you? You're the sick one!"

"Don't talk about Amane like that!" I rolled to the side, faster than he could react. There was a loud bang. Keith fired his gun, roaring with some sick deranged laughter.

I had to get that gun away from him. I wasn't going to be able to get in close if I didn't. Keith just made me so angry. He - he dared to hurt her, dared to talk of my sister like that. I'd kill him, the bastard.

Fire blazed through my body as I dashed forwards, in between his shots. My knife slashed at his chest and red blossomed onto his shirt. Keith screamed and dropped the gun.

"What are you?" he wheezed, "No one can move that fast. It's impossible."

"What am I?" I repeated, "What am I? I'm the last person on earth that you should have messed with. Now get out of here. If you ever show your face around Amane ever again, I'll - I'll...it'll be the last thing you ever do."

I turned from him, bloody knife still in hand and began to walk away. I heard a feral growl from behind me and turned just in time, raising my knife and -

Keith froze, his fist inches from my face, a look of surprise gracing his features. His neck jerked downwards, looking at his chest. Something dripped down my hands and onto the ground.

My knife was embedded in his body all the way up to the hilt. Blood - his blood - flowed onto my hands, down my arms, from _him_ and oh god, I'd stabbed him.

"Son...of a..." his last words, I was hearing his last words, "Not...yet...can't die...not..."

I always thought that light was supposed to fade from your eyes when you died - it was the way that things always happened in books. But Keith's eyes remained the same, even when blood began to trickle out of him mouth, out of his nose, and he slumped forwards onto me.

And then it happened. Suddenly, I was Keith.

Pain spread across my chest as I dropped my gun. The white-haired freak - oh hell, that was me - glowered at me, "What am I? What am I? I'm the last person on earth that you should have messed with."

The freak said something about leaving his sister alone. Like hell I was going to listen to this fag try to talk me around. Didn't he know who I was? I was Bandit Keith. I played Russian Roulette for fun and didn't take shit from anyone. No one messed with the Bandit, let alone some Brit who banged his slutty sister.

I lunged towards him - me? He turned, eyes wide and red (who had red eyes, but the Devil himself?), and white hot pain erupted in my chest. I looked down and he'd stabbed me. The little fuck stabbed me and oh god, was I going to die?

I can't die, not yet. I've got stuff to do, things to see. So I can't die. This bastard couldn't have killed me. There's just no way. Didn't he know who I was? I was Bandit Keith. Bandit Keith wasn't supposed to die because of some stupid kid who brought a knife to a gun battle. There was just not way.

"Son...of...a...Not...yet...can't die...not..."

And then everything went black.

My knees - mine, not Keith's - collapsed under me and I fell to the ground. His body felt like a giant rag doll, all flesh and no bones, as I tried to support it. Blood stained my hands and shirt, making it difficult to grip him and keep Keith upright. I carefully flipped him over and lay him on the ground.

"No. No. No, this isn't happening," my voice started as a mumble, but continued to raise until it was a hysterical cry, "No, no, damn it, no!"

_It was...unavoidable,_ the voice of Game Master, dark, formal, and cut-throat, filled my mind, _This had to happen._

"No!" I snapped back at him, "No! It was an accident! I didn't mean to..."

But I had. Didn't I promise that I'd kill him, kill Keith because he hurt my sister? It hadn't been an accident. I'd killed someone. I was a murderer.

I was like them now.

_Little Kura-Bakura, _Dark God sang, _I knew it all along. He's the same as us. And he will join our song._

"Shut up! Shut up! I'm nothing like you at all!" This couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening.

_I know what you're thinking, that we're the evil ones of this story. We're not. You're not evil because you killed one man,_ I recognized that voice; it was the soft spoken one, _I am the Thief King, if you must know. I was the first._

"Stop it!"

_So what will you do now?_ Soul Stealer asked, _Sit around and wait for the authorities to show up?_

_Or will you run? Will I have to drag you out of trouble again?_ Touzoku's face flashed in my imagination, and I remembered the day I first saw him.

_What will you do? _The voices asked together, _What will you do?_

_Boss._

"Stop it."

_Kura-Bakura._

"Go away."

_Leader._

"Shut up!"

_King._

"I'm not..."

_Bakura-sama._

"...like you!"

_Landlord!_ Akeifa shouted, _Get up and do something - the thing we all should have done! Do it before you regret it for the rest of your life._

_Akeifa!_

_Go to hell, Game Master! _I heard Akeifa cry, _You may claim to hate her, but you aren't fooling anyone. We all respected her, cared for her. What makes this one any different?_

_She was a temptress, a witch!_ Game master bellowed, _She made me stray from the path of righteousness._

_And you loved every second of it._

There was a long pause, then Akeifa said softly, _Go to her, landlord. Go to the Princess._

Atem flooded my mind as I remembered the dream I'd had, days - weeks - ago, and wondered if she could help me like she helped slave-boy from my dreams. I hoped, prayed, begged for anything or anyone that as listening to take me away from Keith's body and put me next to Atem, so maybe she could help make sense of all this -

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just -

I landed on the cold tiles of a washroom flood. I heard the door slam open, the lights flick on, then what sounded like cursing in a language I didn't understand. Hand flipped me onto my back and I stared up into maroon eyes, "Atem..."

"Bakura, what are you doing here?" she asked, sounding breathless, "And what - what is this? Why are you covered in blood?"

"I didn't mean to," I stuttered, "But then, I did mean to - it was an accident, but he said it had to happen and - "

"Stop," Atem put a hand up to silence me, "Are you injured?"

"What?"

"Are you hurt? Is any of this blood yours?"

"I...I don't think so..." I whispered.

"Alright," her voice was soft as she took me by the hands and led me to the edge of the tub, "Sit here."

"I'm sorry," I muttered, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. These things happen," she pulled at tap and let water flood downwards. She grabbed a clean white towel, "Now, tell me what _did_ happen."

So I told her about Keith, about what he'd done to my sister. As I relayed my fight to her, Atem wet the towel and began to clean the blood off my hands, "I killed him, Atem. I killed him. I'll end up like them now."

"Like who?" she asked, turning off the water and placing her hand on my shirt, Morphing the blood off of it.

"I know," I looked her dead in the eye, "about the others. I heard you...with Kaiba. I know about the ones that came before me."

Atem froze, looking utterly shocked and terrified. She opened her mouth, trying to speak once, twice, and then three times, but there was no sound. I answered the question she was trying to ask, "I was looking for my phone."

"You know?" her voice was strangled and pained, "That...that can't be...You can't know."

"Why not?" I wanted - no, needed to know.

"None of them knew, not until..."

_Until we died._ I didn't recognise the voice, but it was one of them. I jumped in surprise.

"You never told them about this until they died?"

"How did you know that?" she snapped, "I never talked to Seto about that last week."

I couldn't look at her, "Sometimes, I hear them. In my head."

Atem grabbed my face, forcing me to stare at her eyes, "They're there? In your mind?"

I nodded, "All of them: Thief King, Touzoku, Game Master, Soul Stealer, Dark God, Akeifa. All of them."

She looked desperate and hungry for evidence that the people she once knew lurked just beyond my red eyes. Somewhere inside me, it hurt to know that while Atem was looking at me, she wasn't _seeing_ me. Why couldn't she see me for who I was?

"But, what about the other one?" I asked.

"What other one?" she said, distracted.

"The first one, the one before the Thief King. The slave you used to own. He's not there"

For the second time, Atem looked panic-stricken, "I've never told anyone about him. No one."

"I dream," I said, like it explained everything. And it did.

Atem became almost flustered, "How far along have you gotten in his life?"

"Huh?"

"You've been dreaming about his life, right? How far have you gotten?"

I racked my memory, "You just fought a Death Touch. You woke up and there was this slave girl there, too. Ix Chel, that's what I named her."

"Ix Chel...that's...oh, her," Atem's face darkened, "So you're at the beginning of it all."

"The beginning?" I wanted to learn more, "What happened back then? What's going on? Does this have something to do with your curse?"

She sighed, "I want to show you something." She stood up and walked out of the washroom. I followed.

She walked over to her desk and lifted the small wooden box, "If you listened in on my conversation with Seto, you've probably got it into your mind that they were monsters. They weren't. They were good people.

"We fought on the same side, just not always together. But we never hated each other. I respected each and every one of them," she sighed sadly, "I never stopped caring about them."

I could feel the spirits moving around in my mind, like they were shifting amongst themselves to get a better view at the world through my eyes. Then there was a massive feeling of surprise. I heard Akeifa whisper, _She kept it..._

Inside the box were several treasures that I hadn't paid much attention to the first time around. Now I took in each thing inside: a ring, a stone statuette, Touzoku's ink painting, a gold necklace, a blown glass orb, and an ornamental comb.

She picked up the statuette first, "I received this from the Thief King. He was from a tribe in the Arctic. He found me in snow drift and nursed me back to health. He always liked to make it snow for me, because I'd never seen snow before then."

_Lady Warrior..._

"And this," next came the painting, "was from Touzoku. He was the heir to a samurai clan in Japan, but he liked putting people back together more than he liked hacking them up with a sword. He had no idea what to make of me when I barged into his house and demanded a place to stay. I'm still amazed to this day that he put up with me. I was a bit rebellious in my 400s."

_Crazy girl..._

The necklace was lifted by her hand, "Game Master was a knight that fought in the Spanish Reconquista. He thought I was a man the first time we met - big shock for him when he found out the truth. He always said that I should go home and find a husband while one would still take me, but I'd like to think that he wanted me around. Maybe he knew that's what I thought; he always knew what people were thinking."

_M'Lady…_

"After him came Soul Stealer. He was an Egyptian man who lived under Ottoman rule," she held up the orb, "He used to tell the most amazing stories. His characters always seemed to come alive when he spoke, right out of the sand of his homeland."

_Little girl..._

"After him was Dark God," the comb was palmed, "He was a pick pocket that I met in Portico. He was just a child and I raised him as if he were my own. This was all he had left of his true mother and he gave it to me. I used to brush his hair with it and tell him tell him tales about legendary creatures before he went to bed."

_My Queen..._

"And then, finally, there was Akeifa," Atem fiddled with the ring, the final item in the box, "He was a young man, living in France in the years of the Revolution. His parents were slaves, but he was a freeman and wanted to fight for the freedom of other people. He was always fighting, always in battle. He lived for that rush."

_My Princess...I'm sorry that I left._

"But they tried to kill you, didn't they?" I asked.

"All friends, all comrades fight will each other at one time or another," Atem explained, "There came a time when we parted ways, but we always fought for the same cause."

"But Kaiba...Kaiba said that they went mad from...from killing people. How can they be good if they're murderers?"

She took me by the hand, "Let ask you something, Bakura. You said that you killed that man, Keith Howard, in order to protect your sister. Tell me, if you were to go back to that moment, knowing that he would never stop - never back down until Amane was broken and bruised at his feet, would you spare his life?"

All I could think about was Amane's terror and how she cried for my help. I could see how scared she'd been when Keith stuffed her into the back seat. And in an instant I knew that I wouldn't change a thing.

Atem must have seen my answer in my eyes, "You wouldn't. And do you know what that makes you? Human."

* * *

For days, weeks, years, later, I'd wonder what made me do it.

It couldn't have been the moonlit night. Atem's curtains were drawn and the only light in the room came from the ceiling, artificial and florescent that sapped the colour right out of her and made her look tired and sick.

It couldn't have been the way she looked at me, because her eyes were still seeking...something else other than me.

It couldn't have been that I was attracted to her. At that point in my life, Atem was just a mystery. Yes, one that I wanted to solve, but nothing more.

So that lead me to conclude that my actions were a direct result of what she'd called me: human. Even after I'd told her that I'd just killed a man, even after I'd accidentally Teleported into her room covered in blood, Atem believed that I was human. It shocked me to my core and made me do something utterly stupid.

* * *

I kissed her. I kissed Atem.

I had no experience when it came to kissing, so I was thinking more about _"Shouldn't I be doing something with my tongue here?"_ than actually enjoying what I was doing. It was sloppy and kind of messy, lacking any of the fireworks and burning passion that I'd read about. Kissing didn't really live up to the expectation I had of it. It left me wondering how swapping saliva could qualify as being intimate.

Still, it was nice, in an awkward kind of way.

Atem pulled away, removing my hands from her waist (when had they moved there?), "Your sister, Amane. She's probably worried about you. You should go back."

"Don't know how," I tried to move forward and reattach my lips to hers, "Wanna stay here with you."

"Bakura," she said, blocking my advance with her hand, "That device of yours is in your pocket. Use that."

I'd completely forgotten that I still had my phone on me. I didn't want to go, though. I wanted to stay here with Atem and...and...I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, but I wanted to stay.

But then I looked at her. She was looking at me again, but this time she was seeing me, "Go back to your sister. Amane needs you more than you need my help right now. She probably thinks you're dead and it's all her fault for not waiting for you."

Atem was right. I needed to go back to Amane. She was most likely crying to herself in her room, like she did when we were kids and she brought home a bad test score. I used to wait until she came over to my side of our room, open my arms and hold her until her tears stopped. I wrestled my phone from my pocket, but turned towards Atem before I activated the PORT, "I'm sorry."

"About what?" she asked.

"Kissing you, just now," I blushed, "I was totally out of bounds."

Atem busied herself with putting her treasures back in the box, "I understand. It was nothing. But..." she paused, then threw me a glance that was half-flirtatious, half-poking fun, "If you must know, you're not a bad kisser."

I probably turned as red as my eyes as I stuttered through a "See you in a week." I activated the PORT, probably knocking out a few of KaibaCorp's systems in the process, but not really caring.

I reappeared in the alleyway between the two strip malls. I hurried back to my house, scrambling inside through my window. I placed my trench coat on my desk and opened my door.

The trip down the hallway seemed extra long. Amane's door was closed, but I could hear the sounds of her sobs through the wood.

I knocked softly, "Amane?"

She didn't answer, but I heard the distinctive chocking and hiccupping of someone trying to stifle their tears.

"Amane," I called again, "I just...I just want you to know..."

Know what? That I'd killed the man who'd attacked her. That Keith was dead on the ground in some back alley near Duke's house? What was I supposed to say to her?

I gathered my courage; "I just wanted you to know that Keith isn't going to bother you anymore. Ever."

The other side of the door stayed silent. There was nothing, not even the creak of bedsprings to give away Amane's movements. I sighed, "Good night."

I padded back to my room as quietly as I could.

But just as I was about to crawl into bed, I heard my door squeak as it opened. Amane stood in the archway. Mascara and eye shadow ran down her face, her hair was an utter mess, and she had yet to change out of the outfit she'd worn to the party. She took a hesitant step forward. I knew what she wanted.

I opened my arms and she collapsed into them, gripping at my shirt and burying her face in my shoulder. As she climbed into my bed, I lay her down on the thread-bared sheets, stroking her hair and making soothing noises as she shook.

"I'm sorry," I heard her mumble into my crook of my neck, "I'm sorry. I should have stayed."

"It's alright," I whispered back, "I promise, I'll always protect you, Amane."

"But you hate me."

"No," I looked at her and wiped away the black stains on her cheeks, "You're my sister, Amane. I have and will always love you."

Fresh tears welled in the corners of her eyes and she hid herself in my shoulder again. I whispered comforting words until her breathing evened out. Only then, did I allow myself to fall asleep.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank my reviewers: Coolaloo, Malik'sStalker, Akikee, Yaminsu, and Yuui. I'd also like to thank SRRH for her forum post.**

**I'd like to make this clear: Bakura didn't kiss Atem because he liked her. He _doesn't_ feel any romantic feelings for her at this point. As for Atem...well, she's complicated. We'll find out more about her later.**

**We've also been introduced to the rest of the spirits and given a slight description of what they were like. They weren't evil. They fought on the same side of the war with Atem, just not always with her. They didn't always agree on their methods of fighting and did occasionally clash, but they respected and cared for each other.**

**I will also confirm one of the questions that I got a lot from you guys: Seto and Mokuba Kaiba were both adopted by Atem when they were younger. She has adopted many children over the years, as shown by what she said about Dark God. Since she isn't effected by the Ward, she would take in both Normal and Other children.**

**If there are any other questions you have (and I'm pretty sure there will be) please drop me a line on the forum. You can also leave me a review or send me a PM. i'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	15. If That Dam Were To Fail

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer: **Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 15: If That Dam Were To Fail**

_Sunday, January 8__th__, 2017_

I woke up to an empty bed.

I lay there for a whole minute before I realized why that was an important observation. I stayed in the same position for another moment, wishing that last night had all been a dream.

But this was reality; cold, brutal reality that didn't go away just because you wanted it to.

I'd killed a man. Keith, my sister's now ex-boyfriend, was dead because of me. I'd stuck my knife into his chest and killed him.

And Amane – poor Amane – had thought that she'd done something wrong by leaving me there.

I sat up in bed, patting at the spot where she'd lain beside me. It was still warm, meaning that she hadn't left long ago. I crawled out from under the covers and blinked the sleep out of my eyes.

Then my feet tangled on something and set me crashing to the floor.

Immediately, there was a loud banging sound of someone dropping pots and pans onto our tiled kitchen floor, followed quickly by the hurried thumps of feet racing up the stairs. As my door slammed open, I looked down and saw that my would-be attacker was nothing more than a stretchy ring of black fabric.

A certain ring of fabric that Amane had worn to that party last night.

Speaking of my sister, she had rushed over from where she was standing in my doorway, "Are you alright?"

"I'll fine," I muttered darkly, knowing that the only thing that was truly wounded was my pride. Seriously, I'd just been bested in battle by a tube-top. How much more humiliating can it get?

As soon as we'd detangled my legs from that accursed shirt-thing, Amane threw her arms around my neck, "You scared me."

"I just fell over," I said, "I've been through worse."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Amane's grip on me tightened and I could practically hear her mind whirring through all the scenarios that I could have possibly been in were I could have gotten hurt. The first one on her mind had to have been last night's fight.

"I'm fine," I repeated, running my hand down her back, "It's okay."

She pulled back, wiping her red-rimmed eyes, "I know. Just being stupid."

"It's not stupid," I told her. Then I noticed what she was wearing, "Is that my shirt? And my pants? Why are you wearing my clothes?"

"I just…didn't want to go into my room again," she ran a hand through her hair, "And they were just there on the floor. You can have them back, if you want."

"No, it's…it's fine," I stammered. It wasn't the fact that she was wearing them that surprised me, but that she had chosen to wear my shirt from Atlantis. Seeing the name of my Others school emblazoned across her chest was a bit of a shocker.

Amane bit her bottom lip, wrapping her arms around herself. I reached for her shoulder, trying to comfort her. I was a little out of practice when it came to comforting people. I only knew what I'd done in my childhood years.

"Could you…do something for me?" she asked.

"What?"

"I won't ask what it is or how you did it," she started, "But could you – could you do the same thing – again?"

She held out her arms and I could see the faint impressions of handprints, Keith's handprints, around her wrists. I remembered my words from that cool November day.

"_Moron, would it kill you to trust me for once?"_ I'd asked her. She hadn't trusted me then, but she did now.

Carefully collecting the red fire within my soul, I pushed it out into her injuries, repairing ruptured capillaries and turning Amane's skin back to a healthy colour. The purple welts faded away into nothing.

She gasped when I removed my hands, but didn't say anything. I wondered if she'd seen my hands faintly glow red with the Medicine spell I'd preformed, if she thought that what I'd done was magic.

Amane's lips twitched into a smile, "Thanks."

"No problem," I returned her grin, "Just don't expect much of an explanation."

"No, I don't want one," she sighed, "Maybe it's better that I don't know. But still…"

Amane slipped her fingers between mine, inching towards me on her knees, "You really scared me last night."

I swallowed something hard. There was an odd look in my sister's eyes. I didn't know what it was, but I knew what it wasn't: fear. There was absolutely no fear in her eyes. But that was impossible.

"You really, _really_ scared me," her hand touched my face, softly stroking at my cheek. Her voice was very low, very…something that I wasn't familiar with, "I thought I'd never see you again."

"What are you doing?" that came out more breathy than I wanted it to.

Amane paused, sensing my confusion. Her hand dropped, but ahe leaned forward and pressed her forehead into my chest. I could hear my heart thumbing. I shakily patted her back. What was that just then?

A smell, sharp and foul, filled my nose, "Is something burning?"

Amane yelped, jumping up and nearly smashing me in the nose. She scrambled out of my room and back down the stairs, swearing the entire time. I followed behind, watching out for any other bits of clothing that could send me to the floor again.

Amane was rushing around in the kitchen, trying to remove whatever burnt out thing was in the pan she had in her hand. There were eggs and bread on the counter, "Were you making breakfast?"

"Yeah, I thought that we could sit down to a meal together for once," she explained, "But then I heard you fall and I panicked and –"

"I'll take care of the toast," I offered. I knew that I couldn't mess up toast.

"That," she laughed, cracking a fresh egg into the now empty pan, "Would be much appreciated."

Our parents came down the stairs, greeting Amane with yawns and waves, completely bypassing me. My mother asked with intrigue, "What's this?"

"Ryou was just helping me make breakfast," my sister slid up next to me, wrapping her arms around mine. I looked at her like she was crazy.

Mom's head snapped towards me, as if seeing me for the first time. She looked like she wanted to evict me from the house for a moment, before glancing at Amane in confusion.

My father was the first to act, "He was what?"

The toast popped. I slid out of my sister's grip, removed the slightly crispy bread, put two new slices in the toaster, and shoved the knob down. I could feel Amane shuffling towards me again, "See! He's helping!"

She sounded like she was trying to convince them that I was doing well in a rehab program to help me with my non-existent drug problem. I reminded her that the eggs were probably done, as I put the toast on a plate, "What do you want on this?"

"Jam's fine."

"Where…"

"Cupboard."

As Amane divided out the eggs (scrambled, I noticed), I rummaged in the back shelves looking for a jam jar. This was so weird, so – _could I even be thinking this_ – normal. If I ignored the fact that my parents were standing stiff in the doorway, waiting for me to attack or something, and there was a tiny little blood stain on my shirt left over from my…activities…last night, I could almost pretend that I was a Normal, that I didn't have magic. I could pretend that I hadn't killed a man last night, that my previous incarnations weren't living in my mind, and that I hadn't kissed Atem.

Well, I didn't know if I wanted to pretend away that last bit. It had been nice. Really nice, now that I thought about it.

Way to nice.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I was being stupid. It had only felt nice because I'd been on the verge of a meltdown at the time. The kiss had meant nothing, absolutely nothing.

"Are you alright, Ryou?" Amane broke me out of my thoughts. I blinked and sat down at the table. She placed a plate of steaming scrambled eggs in front of me with toast on the side.

At the sound of scraping chairs and creaking wood, I picked up my fork and poked at Amane's creation. It looked all right and tasted pretty good, too, as I soon found out. I glanced around the table at my parents, who were glaring at me.

"What?"

My mother rolled her eyes before closing them and placing her palms together in prayer, "Itadakimasu."

It was custom in Japan to say that before you began to eat, something I'd never picked up on. Mom can say she's Japanese all she likes, but I'm British and proud of it. I don't do that sort of thing.

Amane humoured her, but I just continued to eat. I nearly jumped out of my chair when my sister laid her hand on my thigh, squeezing gently before leaving it there. What the _hell_ was up with her?

Then it hit me: she was still scared out of her mind. How stupid was I, to expect her to just jump back to her normal routines, after being attacked like that. After Keith almost…I didn't want to think what he would have done to her, had I not gone after her that night.

And in her moment of need, Amane…turned to me? I wasn't quite sure how to take that. Overnight, I'd apparently become her anchor, the thing that kept her sane. I'd have to try to do the right thing for her, because I didn't want to loose her again.

Amane trusted me because what she'd almost faced that night with Keith was more frightening than anything I'd ever be.

* * *

Looking back on what I've written so far, it's difficult to tell just how close Amane and I were when we were small. She was my entire world. She was the only person who would ever treat me with kindness. I loved her for that.

Though our parents tried to keep us apart as much as possible, it was hard to do that in a two bedroom flat in downtown Cardith. They got one room, while Amane and I shared the other. It never got weird, sleeping in the same room as a girl. It was one of those things that you just get used to after a while.

I was a very shy kid growing up. I didn't like to draw much attention to myself. I cried a lot and sat in corners while other children laughed and played in sandboxes. Amane was the one to draw me out of that.

Mom and Dad always made sure that we were in separate classes, but they couldn't stop us from mingling during recess. In the playgrounds, Amane stood up for me and pulled me out of my corner by the arm.

"Come play with me," she used to say, black eyes crinkling at the sides as she smiled, "I'll be fun! I promise."

I trusted her and she was right. I did have fun.

She was my everything. I wasn't kidding earlier when I said that I thought that I was going to marry her. I really did. I even promised her, "When we grow up, you'll be my wife."

But then again, every child who has siblings learns at some point in their lives that you can't marry your sister. I moved on, leaving childish fantasies aside, but still kept her close.

We were always smiling, always together. When we started up in elementary school, we were known for attaching to each other like barnacles. Our teachers were torn between our parent's orders no to let us stay together and seeing the joy in Amane's eyes. She loved being around me. An invisible force practically drew us to each other.

And then it all changed on the day of our family reunion. A few whispered words from one of our second cousins and Amane never looked at me the same way again. She distanced herself from me and started to hang out with _that _crowd, getting piss drunk to escape reality and ended up loosing her virginity and her common sense in one fell swoop to a guy that she never met again. It destroyed me to see her do that to herself. I retreated inwards, throwing up a pessimistic front to protect me from the world, and convinced myself that I hated her.

And for a while, I did. I hated Amane for leaving me.

When I reflect back on the years when I believed that, I think of all the lost time that I could have had with her. Had I been courageous enough to take the first step and tried to repair our relationship, maybe Amane and I would have been closer. But there no way to go back in time and chance all that.

I'm glad that we learned to get over our differences. There are some things that I know that Amane will never tell me about, just as there are things that I'll never tell her. But now we respect each others secrets, instead of resenting each other for them. We're not perfect, but then again, we're human.

And sometimes, just being human is the greatest thing that a person can be.

* * *

_Tuesday, January 10__th__, 2017_

Okay, this was getting really weird.

Amane had taken to creeping into my room each night, wrapping herself around me and falling asleep with her head on my chest. Sometimes I'd catch her mumbling my name in her sleep or clutching at my nightshirt. I didn't mind it, but she was just behaving so differently that I was thrown off guard.

She held my hand as I walked to school in the morning and only let go when she had to get to class. She sat with me at lunch. We didn't say anything, but her hand was back on my leg and gripping at my pants. I discovered that eating one handed was a little awkward, but my sister calmed down a bit when I held hers.

Her friends were starting to catch on to her recent change in behaviour. I'd seen Gardner talking to her when I came out of math. Both girls looked very upset with each other. Amane stomped over to me afterwards and walked with me to my next class.

I was worried about her. Amane had never been this touchy-feely with me before. Maybe it was because I was her anchor. She needed to feel some sort of contact with me or she's lose it.

I did the same thing when I thought I was going insane, back before Solomon Moto showed up on my doorstep and told me about being an Other. I refused to come out of my room, not knowing if it was safe.

I glanced out the window of my science class. Mr. Harrison's was boring as hell to listen to. It was total snooze-central. He was talking about something – I think it had to do with biology…and cows – but I obviously wasn't paying attention. I yawned, gazing out over the snow covered football field and –

I nearly choked, whacking my chest to clear my throat. Holy crap, what the fucking _hell_ was Atem doing out there?

She wasn't hard to miss; her hair stood out like a bloodstain on a white sheet against the snowy background. She stood off to the side of the field, but close enough to the building that I could still see her from up on the third floor.

I heard her voice echo through my mind, "Hello."

I tried my best to keep my face neutral. I could feel _them_ squirming around in my mind, trying to see her. I gripped at the table, whispering under my breath, "What do you want?"

"You forgot your knife in my room. I am here to return it," she responded.

"I can't," I muttered, "I'm in class now."

Not that I'd be willing to pass up any way to get out of here. Atem seemed to catch that, "Meet me behind the wooden steps," I glanced over and out the window. She was moving towards the stands at the side of the field.

"Those are seats," I corrected her.

I got a flash of amusement from her, "Of course."

She removed her presence from my mind. Seconds later, the fire alarm went off.

…That crazy girl…

_Don't I know it,_ Touzoku muttered in my mind.

I grabbed my coat and bag from beside my chair. I wasn't planning on coming back to class; it was nearly over anyways – give or take half an hour.

I hesitated for a moment, but I had to ask, "What do you mean?"

I hoped that everyone just took the rumour that I was crazy for fact and thought that I was talking to myself. Which, technically, was true.

_Hmmm? You're talking to us now, Bakura-sama?_ Touzoku's voice was teasing. His Japanese accent was pretty thick. It made me wonder if he was actually speaking English or using the language spell Atem had taught me, _Don't worry, I'll satisfy your curiousity. The first time I met that girl, she barged into my home and demanded my father at knife point that he give her a bowl of rice to eat and a place to stay for the night. Then one night turned into two, two into seven, and before I knew it, she'd conned my family into letting her live with us. If that doesn't make her crazy, I don't know what would._

"You were a samurai, right?" I asked.

_Correct. Though I was better at being a Healer than I ever was with a katana. I could use a knife, though. In fact, I once used the very knife that a certain Crazy Girl is about to return to you._

And with that, Touzoku retreated into the back of my mind.

I shoved my way through the crowds of cold high school students and headed towards the stands. Sitting with her back against one of the support polls, Atem gazed up at the falling snow with a peaceful look upon her face.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked while I approached. She was wearing a large shirt and camo-patterned pants. As usual, her shoes were non-existent and her hair was tied up in a ponytail.

She smiled, not really looking at me, "It's fine, I've got magic heating my core. Besides, I like the cold."

"You must be insane," I scoffed, "Who could possibly like the cold."

"You go to a school that teaches you how to Summon creatures from another dimension, break into people's minds, and throw people twice your size across rooms and you still have a concept of sanity?" she fixed me with a playful glance in her maroon eyes, "Seto and Solomon must not be doing their jobs correctly."

"Funny," I scoffed, "Look, I don't want my knife back."

"I saw while I was in your mind – your mental barriers are terrible, by the way – that you don't plan on returning to Atlantis," Atem said it so factually that I was actually taken aback.

"You know why I can't go back there. I'd be putting all my friends in danger."

"And yet, in your quest to be a martyr, you plan is to put countless Normals at risk," she stood, hands on her hips, "You do know what happens to an Other who doesn't use magic, don't you?"

Obviously, I didn't and it showed. Atem sighed and continued to explain, "The reason why it was easy for Solomon to find you was because, quite literally, you stunk. Because you weren't using your magic on a regular basis back then, it built up, makes you stink, and bursts out at odd intervals. It was probably when you were stressed or feeling heightened emotions."

I nodded, remembering all the times in my life when I'd done things that hadn't made sense at the time, "But what's this got to do with me now?"

"If you dam a river, the water backs up behind it and creates a lake," she said, "However, if that dam were to fail, all that water would rush out and destroy anything in its path."

I paled, "Holy shit…magic does that to their bodies?"

"Yes," she looked grave, "If you were to stop using magic and you're control slipped, even for a moment, you would essentially become a living bomb."

Holy fucking shit! I thought back to my accidental outburst of magic earlier last week, realizing that it could have been much worse.

"Has it happened before?" morbid curiousity took over.

Atem glanced off to the side, "The incidents in Hiroshima and Nagasaki weren't created by Atom bombs, as Normal history remembers it. America dropped a pair of ill-trained Others who hadn't used magic in four years upon those cities. They moment they realized that they were falling, they simply reacted and lost control. Boom."

I swallowed something very lumpy as I digested those words, "I should come back then."

"Yes."

"But, what if…" I cringed, "What if I go crazy and start killing people? I've already killed Keith. What if Marik or Mai or Strings is next?"

"It's funny that you should mention Coy "Strings" Burke. I do suggest talking to him when you get back," she covered the distance between us in five small steps, "Bakura, you do realize that you aren't the only person to have killed before, correct?"

I stared at her funny, "What?"

"I'm twelve hundred years old," she said sadly, "It would have taken a miracle to keep me from having to take at least one life in all those years."

It felt like someone had lifted a hundred pound weight off my shoulders, "I guess I was just being stupid, huh?"

"No," she reached for my hand, "It is a perfectly human reaction. Remember that reaction, that guilt, so that if you are forced to kill another person, you can look back on your memories and remember that you can still care.

"Remember Keith Howard, Bakura. Remember his face, his voice, his life. Because only when the faces of all the corpses you've left behind you have blurred from your lack of caring, can you truly call yourself a monster."

She placed my knife – her knife – in my hands. I closed my fingers around the familiar grip and knelt to the ground, securing it in my holster. I could hear the other students heading back inside, but all I wanted to do was stay out here.

"Alright, I'll come back, but I want to know more about what this curse thing. Why it's happening, who were the others that came before me, stuff like that," I set the conditions of my return.

Atem nodded as I stood, "I won't tell you everything in one go, though. Some of the things that happened need to be seen, even experienced, for them to be understood."

"Fine by me."

"Ryou?"

I jumped, spinning around and facing Amane, who was standing right behind me. She glanced nervously over towards Atem, "Who are you?"

"Um…this is – uh," I stuttered, "You see…she's – a teacher!"

I shouted the last bit, though it was a direct result from Atem poking me in the kidney.

"A teacher?" Amane looked skeptical, "I've never seen her around before."

"I don't teach at this school," Atem explained, face transforming into a mask of polite formality, "I work at Atlantis School for the Gifted. And you must be Amane Bakura."

My sister's eyes popped, turning to me so that I could confirm what Atem had just said. I shrugged helplessly, not knowing how to talk my way out of this.

"How did you know my name?" Amane stepped towards me, brushing against my arm.

"Your brother has mentioned you, from time to time," Atem smiled warmly, "And I doubt there's another person who could get away with calling him by his given name, aside from you, that is."

My sister turned to me, "You talk about me, Ryou?"

"Sometimes," I turned away, embarrassed. The only time I'd talked about Amane in front of Atem was over the weekend, but I had mentioned her.

Amane looked back at her, "What has he said about – ah!"

She gripped her head as if in pain. Immediately, I was gripping her shoulders in concern, "Amane? What's wrong?"

"Headache," she spoke through gritted teeth, "Came out of no where. I want to go home."

"Are you two, by any chance, twins?" Atem asked suddenly.

"Yeah," I spared her a glance, "Though I'm older than Amane by ten minutes."

"You are _not_," my sister snorted.

"Nope," I grinned as she raised her head, pain suddenly gone, "You're my baby sister!"

Amane flinched at my words, but not in pain. Something shifted over her eyes, something that left as quickly as it came.

"Hey, where'd she go?" my sister glanced over my shoulder. Atem was gone, probably leaving in the same fashion Solomon Moto had when he teleported out of my kitchen. The same way I had crash-landed in her bathroom over the weekend.

"Don't know. Off, maybe," I decided to change the topic, "Are you alright? How's the headache?"

"It's fine now. It was so weird," but she could not be distracted, "She's a bit young to be a teacher, isn't she?"

I nearly snorted. Atem? Young? She was over a thousand years old, for Pete's sake. We started to head to the bus stop, "Atem's older than she looks."

"Atem? That's a weird name," Amane paused for a second, "She's quite pretty."

I blinked, voice shaking, "I guess. I've never really looked before."

"You haven't?" She sounded disbelieving.

"Not really."

We'll just ignore that I'd kissed her a few days ago. But, yeah, I guess you could call Atem pretty, in a mysterious kind of way.

…Wait. What?

"Oh," Amane seemed to brighten at that, "Alright."

She grabbed my hand and led me to the bus stop. I just tried to block the thought that I'd just considered Atem pretty out of my mind.

Yep, I was definitely going insane.

* * *

_Thrusday, January 12__th__, 2017_

"Okay, I've had just about enough of this," Gardner snapped, "What the fuck is going on?"

Her face was red and scowling, creating an odd contrast between the pinks of her make up and her glowing cheeks. She sputtered and stopped her feet in a childish temper tantrum.

"You've never, _ever_, hung out with him. Ever," she continued to yell, "And now you're attached to him at the freaking hip! Amane, just stop it. He's a freak!"

"You know, I'm right here," I droned.

"Fuck off, loser," she spat at me, before turning back to Amane, "What about Keith? He'd totally go postal if he found out that you were clinging to this sicko."

I could feel Amane go absolutely rigid beside me. I tensed, wondering the same thing that I'd been thinking for a while now: why hadn't Keith's death made it onto the news?

Usually, when there was a murder in this part of Domino it was a big thing. It should have hit the high school gossip whirlwind like a bat out of hell, with lists of possible suspects ("I bet it was Amane's weird brother." "Yeah, it was totally him.") and ways that he died ("Ten bucks says that that Bakura kid sacrificed him to the Devil." "No way, he chopped him up and ate the pieces."). I could here the rumours now.

But there was nothing. Nothing. Not even on the news. I had started listening in on my father when he spoke about the new cases coming it at work. And yet there was nothing. It was like Keith's body had disappeared off the face of the earth.

"Keith – he…" Amane hesitated, "We broke up."

"No way!" Gardner went from pissed to shocked, "You were, like, so perfect together! What happened?"

Amane shrunk into herself, not wanting to answer. I took a stand, "Look, what happened happened. They aren't together and Keith isn't going to come around here ever again. Not if I have something to say about it."

"Do I look like I'm talking to you?" Gardner didn't even allow me to answer. How rude, "No. I'm not. So get out of my face."

"Ryou, please. Let's just go home," Amane begged me, pulling gently on my sleeve.

"You're not going anywhere with him," Gardner stepped forward, trying to grab at my sister, "You've completely changed over the last week. You don't have time for your real friends, you wear those stupid baggy clothes, and your hair looks so drab. You don't even take care of your looks anymore."

Amane tucked herself behind me. I stood tall and immovable in front of her, a human shield. She gripped at the back of my coat.

"If she doesn't want to go with you, she doesn't have to," I grabbed Gardner's wrist before her could touch my sister.

"Ew! Don't touch me!" she ripped her hand from me, as if I had 'loser germs' or something. She quickly became enraged, "You've done something to her, haven't you? People are always talking that you're some crazy voodoo freak. Joey told me about what happened in the graveyard."

I paled. Graveyard? Memories of taunting Wheeler and Taylor, so Rick smashing into them and wrenching a gun away from me. And Gardner knew about that?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled.

"You know what?" Gardner sneered, "I bet you killed Keith to get him away from Amane. Jealous much, you sicko? Were you jealous that he was with your sister? Jealous of your sister's boyfriend?"

"Tea, stop it!" Amane stepped in front of me, "Just stop it! Ryou…Ryou won't kill anyone! Keith and I just broke up after the party, that's it. Please, I need some time to figure things out."

"And you do that by hang around him?" Gardner gasped, "I thought you trusted us. You can always turn to us, Amane. Why aren't you?" Her eyes brightened for a moment as an idea came to mind, "I know! You should totally come over to this party that Tristan's having on the weekend. You could hook up with someone –"

"Just stop it!" my sister yelled, tears welling in her eyes. She stomped away, towards the bus stop, leaving me behind. It was the first time she'd voluntarily left me since what happened with Keith.

I sighed, "You know, sometimes you can be really insensitive."

"Go away, this is all your fault," Gardner growled.

"Keith attacked her," I said, "After that party on the weekend. I think that the last thing she needs right now it to go to another one."

That stopped her cold, "Keith…attacked her?"

"He was dangerous. If I hadn't been there, he would have…" I trailed off. I'd made my point.

"Oh my god!" Gardner covered her mouth in shock, "I set them up together! And I just told her to –"

"Yeah," I glanced over, "Not one of your best moments."

"How could I have been so stupid?"

"Don't think that," I mumbled, turning to follow after my sister, "You didn't know. Don't blame yourself for it."

I'd wonder for years later that, had I turned around, if I would have seen the look of respect on Tea Gardner's face.

* * *

_Atem was getting better. She still had to make trips to the Healer's ward every week to make sure that she wasn't regressing, but she was walking about just fine. It was like we'd never met the Death Touch._

_Almost half a year had passed since that date. Her birthday had come and gone, making her a year older. Fourteen, it was kind of mind boggling to think about. Somewhere in my mind, she still remained that five-year-old girl wrapped up in a heavy cloak, screaming as a stall fell on top of her._

_It was getting harder to ignore the fact that she was turning into a woman. It didn't help that a few weeks ago, she had woken me up in the middle of the night with blood coating her inner thighs and told me she was dying. I hadn't known what it was at the moment, but after rushing her to a Healer and learning just _what_ was going on, I felt very awkward around her._

_Women's bodies were so self-destructive. They bled once a month when they weren't injured so that they could bare children. There had to be a better way._

_Or even now, I thought as I glanced at her. Atem was sparing with some of the soldiers and – I looked away. Her chest was bulging out a little. Not much – not like Ix Chel – but it was still noticeable. And her hips…_

_I stopped myself, focusing back on the piece of wood that I was carving a design into. Who cared if Atem was looking feminine? She was still a scrawny little thing, the top of her head barely reaching my eyes. And who cared that she was growing out her hair, either? I certainly didn't._

"_Well, look here," a voice drawled out in front of me. I looked up into the face of a soldier I didn't know, "What's a slave doing here all on it's lonesome without it's master?"_

"_What's he got in his hand, captain?" another soldier asked. I quickly covered my knife – it was really Atem's knife, but she never asked for it back – in an illusion, making it look like a twig._

_They snatched the piece of wood I'd been working on from my hands. I made a move to take it back, but I felt the collar tighten a little bit. It was a warning._

"_Looks like the slave thinks it's an artist," the captain sneered, "I recognize this one. It belongs to the her Royal Highness."_

_I growled low. I knew what was going on. It was a sport amongst some of the nobles to gang up on slaves, taunt us, and then beat us black and blue. We couldn't fight back; it would just get us into even worse trouble._

_The captain threw the wood in a nearby stream as his men closed in around me. I held my knife-disguised-as-a-stick in front of me. They were not going to take me so easily._

"_What is going on here?" Atem's voice, loud and commanding, was made even more powerful by the painted designs she'd begun wearing on her face and body. She was known throughout as the Warrior Shaman who had killed a Death Touch. Even her father had been forced to acknowledge her skills now._

_Of course, I was the only one who knew the truth. I let her take the credit, though. There would be too many questions to answer if people knew that it was I who actually killed that man._

"_I specifically old you that this barbaric game of your was not to be played anymore, Captain," she stepped forward with purpose, "Should I demote you back to a common foot soldier for your insolence?"_

"_It – it won't happen again!" the captain stuttered, glancing at Atem's arm as lightening sparked around it._

"_It better not. Now get out of my sight, you pathetic excuse for a soldier."_

_The captain and his group fled back to where ever they'd come from. I turned to her, "I didn't need your help."_

"_Of course you didn't," she smirked playfully, "You were just going to do…what, may I ask?"_

"_Shut up," I growled, nudging her in the arm, "I could have taken them."_

"_I sure you could have," Atem smiled, more serious this time, "However, you'd have to run soon after because…well, you know."_

_I did know, "I could have taken them without that."_

_She sighed, "What did they take from you?"_

"_Hm? Oh, nothing special," I glanced over at the stream, "Just something to keep me occupied while you were off doing your sparing thing."_

"_You've never had any formal training in you-know-what, have you?" Atem said suddenly._

"_No."_

"_I could…show you a few things," she whispered, "If you want to, that is."_

_My eyes widened in shock, "You'd – you'd do that?"_

_She nodded, blushing slightly._

"_Alright," I agreed, before telling her what I'd been holding in all afternoon, "There's a meeting tomorrow night, in the city."_

_She stiffened, "You know I can't go there, even as a spy. I'm a Princess, Bakura."_

"_I'm not asking the Princess. I'm asking Atem," I said, "Look, the King will kill us the moment he finds out about what we are, no matter who you supposedly kill or not. We are his enemy. Why not go down to see the what the Children of Toltex are all about."_

"_Because you're forgetting that the King is my father. I can't betray my father," she sighed, "You're going, aren't you?"_

"_The collar will choke me before I get into the city," I informed her, "And it's tied into your signature now. You had it fixed so that would be the case."_

_She clenched her fists, "Go back to my room and get my bow. I want to get some archery practice before we go to dinner."_

_When I returned, Atem's ankles are wet and there was a cord hanging around her neck. Whatever pendant was on the end was hidden beneath the strap covering her breasts, slipping in between – stop looking._

_I hoped she agreed to come. I told my self that it was because I won't get far without her at my side, because that was the only reason. The _only _reason. At all._

_Really._

* * *

_Friday, January 13__th__, 2017_

Yes, I agreed with my self, I was completely fucking insane.

Amane had managed to get through half of the day without grabbing onto me, but she still remained within eyesight whenever she could. She seemed almost reluctant to touch me now. Maybe she was recovering.

I used that break from her to approach a table in the cafeteria that I'd avoided like the plague until today. It was known as the 'cool kids' table, the place where jocks and plastics cackled at the top of their voices and sneered at others passing by who wore outdated clothes. It was the home of Devlin, Wheeler, Taylor, Gardner, and, formerly, Amane.

Conversation died down as I got closer – not just at the 'cool kids' table, but the entire cafeteria. You think that they'd be a bit subtler. It was obvious that they wanted to hear what I was going to say.

I stood behind Taylor until they decided that they could no longer ignore me. Wheeler snapped, "The fuck do you want, limey?"

"Very mature," I said sarcastically, turning to Devlin, "Could I talk to you for a second?"

"Don't do it, man," Wheeler jumped up, "He'll cast a spell on you too. He's got Amane and now he'll get you."

"Do you know how stupid you sound?" I asked, "Magic? Really? Everyone knows that's not real."

Oh, the irony.

"Joey, just stop," Gardner bit her lip, glancing at me for a second before looking away, "If he wants to talk then he can talk."

I raised an eyebrow, but moved on, "Not here. Alone."

I walked away, towards the cafeteria exit. If Devlin decided to follow, then he did. If not…well, I'd figure out what to do then.

I leaned against the wall and waited. I wasn't disappointed. Devlin stepped through the door, stopping in front of me, "What?"

"What do you know about what happened between Amane and Keith Howard at that party you had on the weekend?" I asked him.

He shrugged, "They broke up."

"They didn't just break up, Devlin. Keith attacked her, dragged her in to his car, and brought her into an alley way," I explained, "He tried to hurt her. I stopped him, made sure he'd never come back. But…" I sighed, looking away, "I'm worried about her."

Devlin was in shock, "I had no idea…"

"I know you didn't," I sighed, "Look, while I'm away at my…other school, could you take care of her?"

His jaw dropped, "Me? Are – are you sure?"

"You're the only person I can trust," I told him, "Amane knows you, knows you won't hurt her. You've got Serenity to help you and everything."

"I didn't know you trusted people," Devlin said suspiciously, "This is a far cry from the guy who said he wanted nothing to do with us."

"Things have changed."

Devlin stared at me for a moment, then sighed, "I'd say yes, even if it wasn't you asking me. Amane's my friend, I'll look out for her."

I relaxed, smiling, "Thanks."

"No problem, Bakura."

I flinched, "You said my name."

"I guess so," he said.

"But don't I scare you?"

"Yes, but," he hesitated, "I shouldn't, you know. I'm not really sure how to explain this, but I have no idea why I'm scared of you. I can't understand it. It's stupid."

I stared at Devlin, confused at what he'd just said. His girlfriend had said the same thing to be about a week again. I wondered if those two were completely Normal. I put it on the list of things to ask Atem when I returned to Atlantis.

My heart jumped. I was going back to Atlantis. I was going to see my friends, learn magic, and go back to being who I was before I learned about the voices in my head. Back – I was going back!

"I don't think it's stupid," I grinned slyly, "Crazy, maybe. But not stupid."

"Glad to know that you don't think I'm stupid," Devlin said sarcastically, "Though I'm not sure how to take you calling me crazy."

I laughed, "Yeah well, you're Normal. You're all a bunch of crazies."

"If I'm normal, what the hell are you then?" Devlin meant it as a joke, but he had no idea what he'd just said to me.

My grin slipped from my face, my eyes focusing on the floor, "I'm not – normal, that is. I'll never be like you.

"But, " I raised my head, "I think I like it that way."

He saw the look I had in my eye, but I turned away as he asked the question, "What are you talking about?"

I didn't answer, because I knew that I could never hate Duke Devlin for how he was born. He'd never know the things I knew. He'd never see the world as I saw it.

And I pitied him for that.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Ebony-chan and Ivory-chan, Coolaloo, Malik'sStalker, Phobias Athena, and Akikee.**

**Many of you were wondering if Bakura was going to go back to Atlantis, so here's your answer: yes, he is. If he doesn't get trained on how to use his magic properly, he'll blow up. Magic can only be held back for so long before it needs to be used. The only reason why Atlantis waited so long to contact him initially (Bakura developed magic at the age of eleven) was because he needed time to stabilize his gift. Magic is very volatile in the beginning few years.**

**As for the 'Atomic Bomb not actually being a bomb' thing, that's just in this universe (or is it?). America declared war on Japan in 1941 and dropped the two bombs in 1945, the four years that the two nameless Others were told not to use magic for. They were sacrificed for their country in order to pressure the enemy into surrendering. This shows that the American government is very aware of the Others population. **

**If you have any more questions or comments, start a thread on my forum. Reviews are appreciated as well.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	16. It's Dark Here

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer: **Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 16: It's Dark Here**

_Sunday, January 15__th__, 2017_

I blinked sleep out of my eyes as I began to repack my backpack. When I'd come home two weeks ago, I'd dumped all my clothing out and onto the floor, determined not to give myself a reason back to Atlantis. Now I was refolding and placing each piece of fabric into the black hole in the back compartment.

Amane lay on my bed. She had another headache.

"How are you doing that?" she asked, pained expression on her face.

"Hmm?"

"How can you fit all that stuff in there?"

I blinked, "I guess I'm a good at packing."

"Neat freak," she snorted, rolling over on her side and clutching her head.

I stood up, sitting beside her, "Are you alright?"

"No," Amane moaned. "It's so weird. It's not really pain, it's…I don't know what it is really."

I frowned, "Do you want me to…see if I can do something?"

"Alright," she uncurled and faced me.

I placed a gentle hand on her forehead, reaching into my soul for the flames of my magic and –

"Ow! Ow! Stop it!" She shoved my hand away, "You're making it worse."

"Sorry," I mumbled, "I don't know what to do."

"It's not your fault," she placed her head in my lap and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Don't go."

"I don't have to leave for a few minutes."

"No, no. Don't leave at all," her voice was muffled by pant leg.

"Amane, I've got to go," I tried to push her off of me. "I have to."

"No you don't. You were fine here, before that guy knocked on our door and offered you a spot," she pleaded. "I'll – I'll tutor you, help you get your marks up. Don't leave."

"It's more than that." If I didn't keep learning magic, I'd turn into the next atom bomb. I _had_ to go.

"It's that girl, isn't it?" Amane spat, "Do you even know who she is?"

"I know who Atem is," I scoffed. "And it's not about her."

"She's on the FBI's most wanted list, Ryou!" My sister sat up, "And not just the American one. There are at least a dozen countries looking for her. She's dangerous!"

"The FBI's – wait a second, how do you know who's on the list?" I was stunned.

"Honestly?" She looked at me like I was an idiot, "You can Google it.

I sighed, "Look, it's not like that. Atem's a good person. Misunderstood, but she's not bad. She's not evil. Besides, why are you looking her up anyways?"

Amane hesitated for a moment and then said quietly, "I have no idea what you do once a month. I know that the school's in the capital and is in the KaibaCorp building, but other than that there's nothing. I don't even know what you're learning. She was all I had to go with.

"What are they teaching you there, Ryou?" She asked.

My heart skipped a beat. How was I supposed to tell her that I was learning magic from the youngest multi-billionaire on the earth and his staff? How could I tell Amane that I was a Necromancer and that the girl that she looked up on the Internet was twelve hundred years old and a former Mayan princess?

I couldn't. She wouldn't believe me at all.

"Math mostly. Computer stuff. You know, the usual," I said stiffly.

"Bullshit."

"Amane," I grabbed her by the shoulders. "I _can't_ tell you. Just like I _can't_ stay here. I need to go back to Atlantis, okay."

"Are they threatening you? You can go to the police! Dad will help –"

"No he won't," I told her. "Amane, when our parents set the table for supper, they put out three plates, not four. I've never gotten a birthday present or a comforting word or anything nice from them. Dad wouldn't help me.

"I don't need help, I just need to go back. I want to go back to Atlantis, Amane. I love it there."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "So it's me then."

"What? No! You're being stupid. I'm coming back, Amane. I'm not going to be gone forever," I chuckled.

"No! You'll stay long, just like last time!" She was getting hysterical, "You hate it here!"

I ran my hand through my hair, "Where's your cell phone?"

"What?"

"I'll give you my number," I said, hoping that it wasn't against the rules. I'd probably have to talk to Moto when I got there, "That way you can call me if you need something."

Amane stared at me for a minute, before launching herself off the bed and out of my room. Seconds later, she came back with her phone, "Here"

I punched in the numbers. Amane took it back, studying the pixelated symbols as if they contained the secret to the universe. Then she glanced up, "Can I just call you to talk?"

"Uh, sure. If you want to…" I didn't think I'd mind that.

Amane blushed, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug, "Take care out yourself, Ryou."

"I'll try."

"Really, though," she gripped at my shoulders. "If you…If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I love you."

"I do too, sister," I told her. "I'll be fine."

She stiffened in my arms for a second, but relaxed. I guess that the Ward still affected her. Amane's fear of me still remained, no matter how much the memory of Keith still haunted her.

The alarm on my phone went off, signaling that I had to leave. Amane let go, tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid."

"No you're not," I wiped the tears from her face. "You've been through a lot over the last week. If you didn't react this way, I'd be even more worried about you."

She leaned into my touch, "I worry you?"

"Yeah. You're my sister. I'm allowed to worry."

She hid her face in her hands. I touched her shoulder, "I've got to leave."

She didn't look up, but nodded. I paused for a moment, but placed a kiss on her forehead, "Call me, okay?"

I got up and headed down the stairs, shutting the door behind me as I left. I glanced back at the house to wave goodbye to an empty window, as I had always done. But this time there was someone there. Amane's form was distorted slightly by the light of the sun reflecting in the glass, but she was standing there wearing one of my shirts and waving slowly.

I raised my hand in return, moving it from side to side. My knees felt a little shaky and my vision became a bit blurry. It must have been raining, even though it was below freezing and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was the only explanation for the water running down my face.

Devlin would take care of her, I assured myself as I walked towards the strip mall. I trusted him to do the right thing and I trusted Serenity to help him. And if she got in over her head, Amane could always call me. She had my number now.

So much had changed in the last week. I wasn't quite sure what to do, but I'd try my best for Amane. I wasn't going to lose her, not again.

* * *

I landed in the alleyway across from KaibaCorp. I was getting better at catching myself when coming out of where ever I was when I activated the PORT. I was a far cry from the guy who crashed into the concrete here in October. Now I stumbled into existence and headed towards the gigantic tower of glass with the red KC label at the top.

Once inside the elevator, Noah's face appeared on the screen inside. Instead of joking around, he cut straight to the point, "Solomon and Seto want to talk with you. Now."

The light behind the fourth floor button disappeared as the hundredth floor began to shine. I panicked, "What's this about?"

The elevator seemed to speed up. Noah was just as confused as I was, "Don't know. Good luck, though."

The doors opened. Kaiba stood impressively in front of me. He looked livid, "Follow me."

I trailed behind him like a man walking to his own execution. My mind went into overdrive, trying to think about what I could have done that would have pissed Kaiba off this badly. There was only one answer I could come up with: Keith Howard. Somehow they had found out about Keith and now I was going to be expelled. At least Amane was going to get her wish for me to stay with her. I was never really coming back.

He led me into an office – his office, according to the bronze plaque on the door – and opened the door. Inside was Solomon Moto, sitting calmly in a comfortable chair in front of the desk. Kaiba walked towards the window and stared at the clouds for a moment before addressing me.

"My mother informs me that you were listening in on the conversation that I had with her two weeks ago."

My eyes widened. _This_ was what they wanted to talk about? Not Keith?

I cleared my throat, "Yes, sir."

"Atem says that you can hear the voices of your past selves in your head," Moto said, calmly stating this absurd fact as if it were something he saw everyday.

I nodded, "Yes."

Kaiba spun around, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn you into a smear on the floor, Ryou Bakura."

Now I had a reason to panic. I doubt that I'd be able take him, even if he was going easy on me. Kaiba was a wicked fighter. If he wanted to kill me, I'd be very dead.

"Why do you call Atem mother?" I asked.

Solomon chuckled, "Don't you know? Atem adopted Seto and his brother when they were young."

"Don't speak, Solomon. He doesn't need to know that. He's going to die in a few minutes anyways," Kaiba hands began to glow and I thought-smelled smoke. Just beyond his barred teeth, blue flames smoldered in anger. I remembered that fire manipulation was taught to the older students and knew that my Combat teacher was about to combust.

"I'm not like them," I shouted. "I would never hurt anyone!"

"Oh really?" Blue fire shot out of Kaiba's nostrils, "Then what about a certain Keith Howard? What happened to him then?"

What little colour I had left in my face drained away, leaving me looking as dead and ghostly as my spirit friends. I opened and closed my mouth uselessly, before yelling out the first thing that came to my mind, "I was only trying to protect my sister!"

Kaiba seemed to freeze, "What?"

"My sister. Keith was my sister's boyfriend," I was babbling now, trying to extend whatever life I had left for as long as I could. "He attacked her. I defended her. I didn't mean to kill him, it just happened. I was going to walk away and then he lunged at me. My knife was up – I didn't mean to – it was an accident."

Kaiba's chest heaved as he stared me down. Then the glowing in him mouth died down as the fire dissipated from his body. He turned away.

"Look if you don't trust me, go ahead and kill me," I said. "But can you at least give me a chance to prove that I can be better than what you think I'm going to become. I didn't ask to be born this way."

There was silence, then, "You speak well, Bakura, for someone so young."

"You think so?" I turned to Moto. "I just asked someone to kill me. Honestly, I think I'm psychotic. Suicidal, at the least."

He laughed, "Maybe."

"If you give any hint that you're turning to one of them," Kaiba snarled from his position behind the desk. "I'll kill you myself, damned be the consequences."

I knew what the consequence for killing was, all too well. I glanced sideways at Moto, "You said in your speech in October that we were to tell you if we needed to get in contact with our families. I gave my cell number to my sister earlier today so that she could get in contact with me if she needed anything."

Moto raised an eyebrow, "Your sister trusted you enough to turn to you?"

"Yeah," I said. "Her and two of the people at my school were acting really weird. Duke Devlin and his girlfriend, Serenity Wheeler, kept talking about how they didn't know why there were scared of me. Are you sure they're Normals?"

Moto nodded, "It is not uncommon for Normals to be able to realize that their fears are unjustified. It doesn't stop the Ward from taking effect, but it allows then to function normally in the presence of an Other. It takes a certain level of maturity for them to do that."

Oh, so that's what had been happening. Devlin and Serenity were able to rationalize their irrational fears, "So it is possible?"

"Yes. Seto's brother, Mokuba, is a master at it," Moto chortled. "You wouldn't even know that the boy was a Normal.

"As for your sister, though I've never met her, I am presuming that it has to do with the fact that Keith scared her more than she scared you. Normals will sometimes turn to an Other in an emergency to ensure their own security," he sighed. "So be prepared for your sister to go back to the way she was before."

I slumped. I was really enjoying being Amane's brother again, not just the hellish roommate that she had to put up with for two weeks every month. I liked having my sister back.

But there was nothing I could do. Amane didn't ask to be born a Normal. I couldn't blame her for something that wasn't her fault.

"Can I leave?" I asked Kaiba warily, not sure if he was going to breath fire again.

"Go," the moment he dismissed me, I was out the door.

In the elevator, Noah popped up on the screen again, "So you're alive, huh?"

"Yeah. Don't know how, though," I rested the back of my head against the cool metal of the lift.

Noah laughed, "Still, it's better than –" he jerked suddenly, before his grin turned feral, "Ooooh! I've gotta go! Someone's trying to hack us."

"Wait – what?" I shouted, but the program was gone and the door was opening on the fourth floor. Home.

Visions of my friends flooded my mind as it really hit me that I was back. I rushed to my room, flung open the door, and there in his entire god damn glory was Marik Ishtar.

"Hey, man," he raised his hand in greeting as he sipped from a Pepsi can. "What's up?"

"You're fucking amazing, you know that," I told him.

"Well, duh," he rolled his eyes. "Mind telling me why I'm so amazing at this moment in time?"

I could have bloody _kissed_ him, "You just are. Never doubt that."

He looked very confused, "Are you alright, Bakura? You're acting all weird."

I couldn't stop grinning, "I'm fine. Better than fine, actually. I'm home."

* * *

I'll pretend that I didn't tackle-hug Mai when I saw her like a total idiot. I'll also pretend that I didn't spin Mana around until she was dizzy. I'll pretend that I hadn't embarrassed the hell out of myself and was now picking at my supper with a perpetual blush on my face.

"Sooo," Marik broke the awkward silence at our table. "The President's getting sworn in next week…"

"That time all ready?" Mai sighed, "I forgot. Goodbye Barack Obama, hello President Zigfried von Schroeder."

"Who?" I asked.

"Don't you keep up with these things?" Marik asked.

"I'm not really that into politics."

"You must be living in a freaking political hole not to hear about Zigfried von Schroeder," he was astonished. "He's only the first immigrant to become President! And the youngest, too!"

"So there a new guy in the White House, big deal," I mumbled.

"He's European," Mana said slyly. "British, but with German heritage."

British_?_ The new guy was British? I grinned, "Excellent. Looks like we're taking over."

Marik rolled his eyes, sharing a glance with Mana before quickly looking away. Oh ho-ho! What's this now?

I looked pointedly at Marik, before flitting over to Mana and back to him suggestively. He looked murderous.

It looked like Mana's crush wasn't exactly one sided. I felt like letting loose an evil laugh worthy of a Bond villain. Mwu-ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Marik was Doomed with a capital D.

They'd be good for each other, though. Mana was a good balance for Marik eccentric personality. She was whom he turned to when whatever problem he had worked up. Somehow, they seemed to know what each other was thinking without resorting to Enchantment magic.

Marik was very protective of her. He didn't like to fight Mana when they were paired up in Combat, but respected her enough not to go easy on her. Sometimes he'd go quiet and just stare out into space when she was being particularly sweet.

I wondered if there was someone out there for me. Maybe not 'The One,' but someone that I could be with. Someone that cared about me.

_If I may suggest something,_ Touzoku spoke softly, gently, like a cool winter's day, _don't start walking down that path. She will indulge you, but you will become ensnared in her trap. You've already slipped up once. I don't recommend you do it again._

"What are you talking about?" I muttered as quietly as I could. What slip up...? Oh…

I felt my face burn. That kiss had meant nothing, absolutely nothing. Atem was my teacher, that was it. It didn't matter that I dreamt of her at night or thought she was pretty (once). I mean, I thought that Mai was pretty, that Mana was pretty. Hell, I thought my own sister could be pretty. What did it matter that Atem looked pretty? Nothing, nothing at all.

_Then ask yourself: would you have kissed anyone else had they been in the Lady Warrior's place?_ And with that, Touzoku withdrew to the back of my mind.

No, I was not going to be thinking about that question either. I was not even going to consider it. Hell fucking no.

I bit my lip.

No, I probably wouldn't have…

I didn't mind kissing Atem. She hadn't been stiff or embarrassed about it. She'd accepted it, but kept me on the correct path. Thief King was wrong: she hadn't ensnared me in anything. And it wasn't a slip up.

…Why was I considering Atem as a possible – no! I was not and that would just be weird even if I did. I wanted to smack myself for even thinking about that, but I was surrounded by my friends. I couldn't do that in front of them. They'd think I was crazy.

But really, what was crazy anymore? I didn't know.

* * *

_Monday, January 16__th__, 2017_

I decided that it was time, that this was long overdue conversation that needed to be had. It needed to happen now, or it was never going to happen at all.

It was just passed midnight. Marik was asleep, snoring slightly in the bunk above me. I sat up in bed and took the same meditating position that Shadi had showed us during my first lesson with him. I reached deep inside myself, bypassing the inky purple and black swirls and heading straight towards the light.

I awoke in my Soul Room. I stood in the middle of this strange place that represented my inner self. There was a fire burning in the center, demonic red – the same colour of my eyes.

There was something new, though. Two something actually. There was a candle on my desk, burning with a scentless black flame. The candle had always been there, tucked away in a corner. Now it was in the center, across from the bed.

I moved over to the wall with the steal door, tracing the bumps on the wall. Instead of smooth feeling of dry wall, it felt like stone. There had been something carved into it at one point, the pattern blasted away by time.

I stepped away from the wall and towards the door, grasping at the handle and wrenching it open.

The hallway was just as I remembered it. It was dark and shadowed, barely lit by the red flames of the torches. The other six doors stood ominously on the other side.

I swallowed hard, "I know you can hear me, so don't pretend you're not here. I just want to talk."

For a moment, nothing moved. The torches flickered, the swirling blackness at the end of the hallway eerily silent. Then there was a creaking sound and one of the doors opened.

The man was tall and brawny, dressed in old fashion clothing that looked he'd stolen it from a museum. His white hair was shorter than mine, but just as wild, covering his right eye entirely. His other glowed a familiar demonic red.

But what surprised me the most was his skin. It was dark.

He raised his hand in a friendly hello, "Bonjour. I'm Akeifa. Akeifa Bakura."

My jaw became slack. He winced, "Not what you expected, right? Let me guess: someone shorter."

"You're really young," I blurted out. I flushed with embarrassment.

Akeifa cocked his head to the side before bursting out laughing, "I'm older than you, landlord, by about two hundred years!"

"But you're dead," I couldn't understand this. This had been _me_ all those years ago? "You died really young."

He stopped, looking sheepish, "I was twenty-five. But it was a good death. I regret nothing."

He looked so boyish, so young. How could this have been the monster that ripped through the French government and went insane from the deaths he caused? He looked nothing like that at all.

His eyes lit up, "Hey, you went to school, right? Did they ever tell you what happened to a man named Napoleon? We were good friends, back in the day. Did he ever end up marrying Josephine? What happened to the Revolution? Did we win? Did we stop -?"

"Akeifa," I recognized the voice of Game Master. "Put an end to your squabbling. Stop hounding him with your questions."

Game Master and Akeifa could have been twins, only the former's skin was white and he looked a few years older. They had the same heavily muscled frame and their white hair was cut at the same length. I could see both of Game Master's eyes, though. He was dressed in armor and chain mail that clinked with every step.

"Oh yes, and you aren't just as excited as I am at being able to connect with the outside world again," Akeifa rolled his eyes. "Quit your preaching until you start practicing your own words, Game Master."

"You dare?"

"Will you both just calm down?" All the doors stood open now, their occupants making their way out into the hallway. Touzoku, as sharp as a katana blade, stood with his arms crossed in front of him, long hair tied up with some string, "Bakura-sama said he wanted to talk, so lets talk."

Behind Touzoku stood more white haired figures, each with red eyes and similar faces. I could recognize certain things in them that I'd only seen in the mirror before. It really hit home that these people, these spirits, were _me_. This was who I was centuries ago.

"Who are you all?" I asked, "I mean…I know your names, but…who is who?"

Akeifa chuckled, "Well, you already know who I am. And this stiff here is Bakura the Game Master." He pointed to the armored man leaning not far away. Game Master scoffed at him and turned his head.

"We have already met," the samurai's face didn't give away any of his thoughts. "But I am Bakura Touzoku."

"Hello," one of the others stepped forward. He was dressed in a coat made of animal skins. Long white hair flowed from his head in a controlled manner that I'd never been able to manage, "I'm Thief King; Thief King Bakura"

Thief King was even younger than Akeifa. He looked only a few years older than me. I felt a shiver go down my spine; young deaths were rarely ever natural.

"Soul Stealer Bakura, at your service," his skin was dark like Akeifa's but his hair limp like Thief King's. He wore a wind beaten robe across his body. The sun had aged him prematurely.

Arms wrapped around my waist and a body pressed against my back. Words like knives were whispered into my ear, "Kura-Bakura is so pretty. Pretty-pretty like a girl. He looks so much like me."

The hands twisted me around and I found myself staring into red pools of insanity. My body went rigid as figures tilted my chin up.

I wonder if I'd grow up to look like this man, if I somehow succeeded in getting a tan one-day. We looked so similar, like Akeifa looked like Game Master. I knew instantly who this man was, "You're…Dark God, aren't you?"

Something splintered behind his eyes. "Those lips…those lips that say my name – my title…they kissed her once," Dark God mumbled, "My Queen, my pretty-pretty Queen. If I kiss them, will they still taste like her – but no! She is my mother…my pretty beautiful mother whom I _want so badly_ –"

"There isn't going to be any kissing today, my friend," Akeifa came to my defense, wrenching me away from Dark God. I hid behind him. It least there was someone here I could trust, "The landlord just wants to talk."

"That was supposed to be a kiss?" Thief King's eyes popped, "Then…oh…oooooohhh!"

"What?" Soul Steeler glanced over at him, but the pale boy had dissolved into rapid, red-faced stutters. Something about "waking up," "snow bank," and "eating my face."

"What did you want to speak to us about, Bakura-sama?" Touzoku interrupted, looking slightly annoyed. I cleared my throat.

"Why are you all here?" I asked.

"Haven't got a clue," Soul Stealer sighed, leaning against the wall. "All I remember is a lot of blackness and then I showed up here."

"And that's really odd," Akeifa pointed out. "Magic usually tells you something, but there was nothing. We're just as in the dark about it as you, landlord. Well…maybe more."

"What?"

"Look around, boss," Game Master scoffed from his place outside the circle. "It's dark here."

"But don't you see the outside?" I frowned, distinctly remembering the feeling of shuffling inside my mind.

"Sometimes," Thief King spoke up, soft and gentle. "Not a lot, though. Nothing before you developed magic and even then, it's just been flashes. It gets clearer when you use magic or have heightened emotions. Mostly we can hear your thoughts."

Something clicked in my mind. I muttered to myself, "So you weren't looking for a better view; you were just looking for a view _period_. But that means that you can at least sense people – sense Atem."

Immediately, the people around me stiffened, like I'd severely insulted them. Game Master looked murderous, while Thief King had gone back to his former reddish blush.

"Okay, what is going on between you guys and her?" I shouted, "Kaiba said that you hated her, tried to kill her. But Atem wanted to see you again when I told you that you were here. Mixed messages, much?"

Dark God giggled behind me, "Left, right, up, down, my beautiful barefoot Queen. My mother and my lover. A goddess who remains unseen."

"You're what?" I yelped. Lover?

"Nothing – nothing!" Akeifa's laugh was forced, "Dark God's just rambling. He says stupid things all the time!"

"You were lovers? Atem was your…" everything seemed to slow down. I remembered Game Master calling Atem a wench and Touzoku warning me that she'd ensnare me. I glanced over at Thief King and he previous stutters finally made sense.

"All of you…you all were _with _her." Shit, no wonder she had spoken so fondly of them.

"It's more complicated than that," Akeifa looked downtrodden.

"Complicated? Complicated? How is that – oh fuck! I kissed her!" I was full on panicking.

"Well yes, you did," Touzoku raised an eyebrow. "I did tell you."

"That was then! This is now!" I paced back and forth, "You didn't tell me that you…you were…"

"Involved?"

"Yeah, that." My face was beet red. I needed to calm down. I needed to stop thinking about where this – this thing with Atem could possibly go. She wouldn't…I wouldn't…nothing was going on between us!

I took a deep breath, "Where's the first one of all of us?"

Thief King coughed, "I was the first. Remember? I told you already."

"No, you're not the first," I corrected him. "The slave that Atem used to own, he was the first. He was there before she stopped aging. Where is he?"

"What slave?" Game Master frowned, "I see no slave here."

"He was a Necromancer, like me," I glanced around, looking into each pair of red eyes. "He was a thief who lost his family when he was five. She saved him from execution when he was eleven. What? Am I the only one here who had these dreams?"

"Apparently," Akeifa frowned. "I just had dreams about history when I was alive. Joan D'Arc, Morgana, King Louis XIV, the usual suspects."

"No, I don't dream about them at all," I paused. "Morgana? Like Morgan la Fay?"

"Yeah, she was real," Akeifa raised an eyebrow. "Merlin wasn't, but she was. Quite a pretty woman, too."

"M'lady used to talk about her," Game Master muttered. Heads turned to him, he scoffed, "What? She mentioned Morgana. Used to complain all the time about how history remembered a fictitious character and not the girl she adopted. It was kind of annoying."

"Lady Morgan la Fay is my sister," Dark God muttered into his hands. "Sister, sister, I have a sister. My Queen, the beauty, the mother of many. I wonder, I wonder, did she hold them – touch them – like she did me? Pretty-pretty Morgana-sister, did she care for you like she did me?"

"So he's not here," I said to myself. I turned towards the black ends of the corridor, "Where do these lead?"

"Back to your body," Akeifa explained.

"How do you know that?" I asked him.

Akeifa went silent. Game Master laughed cruelly, "Not going to tell him, boy? If you don't, I will."

"You were asking for help and I didn't want to go back to the Shadows," he scuffed his feet on the stone floor. "So I locked your door and teleported your body away from that brute."

"You possessed me, didn't you? How would you know how to even do that?"

"Your eyes are more open for us to see through when you're with the Princess," Akeifa looked off to the side. "I like to see how she's doing – see if she's happy. And whenever you're with her, she's usually talking about Necromancy. I picked up on a few things."

There was something in his eyes, something wistful and sad, that made me believe him. I remembered suddenly that Akeifa had given Atem a ring once. I knew why now.

"Just…don't do it again," I hesitated. "Unless I ask for it. I don't really have the hang of possession yet. I don't want something to go wrong."

"You'll let us possess you?" Touzoku's eyes were wide, showing feeling that I didn't know he had before.

"Well, we're all kind of stuck with each other," I scratched the back of my head. "I might as well make use of you guys, instead of leaving you in the back of my mind to rot. I'll see if I can find a way to let you see better first, before we go back to possession," I pointed out to them, before they all got too excited at the thought of being able to roam around the world again, "We can start tomorrow."

They all glanced around at each other. Soul Stealer leaned forward, "Are you sure about this? A week ago, you were calling us murderers and monsters."

"I think Atem was right when she told Kaiba that he shouldn't judge you guys since he didn't know you," I explained. Game Master huffed, rolled his eyes, and turned away.

"Whatever, I'm done here," he walked over to one of the open doors. He grasped the handle and slammed the door behind him.

"That was kind of rude," I raised an eyebrow.

"Bah, ignore him," Akeifa sneered at the closed door. "Game Master's just like that."

"You should probably go back too, Bakura-sama," Touzoku suggested. "It's very late out where you are and you have a hard day of training tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," I snorted. I didn't need someone to tell me what to do, "I don't even feel tired."

The samurai shared a look with Akeifa. Soul Stealer sighed, "I'm not getting involved in this."

Then there were two pairs of arms lifting me off my feet and I was dragged over to the dark end of the hallway. Akeifa grinned as he pushed me backwards; "Find out what happened to Napoleon for me!"

And then all I knew was darkness.

* * *

It's an odd thing, to know you're never alone. The spirits that dwell within my mind, within my very soul, are some of the greatest people I've ever met. We'll just ignore for a moment the fact that they're technically me and saying that kind of boosts my ego.

They're brilliant. They know so much about magic that they could spend days explaining all their knowledge. Even Dark God's fractured mind is worth taking a few looks into. While their souls have spend millennia waiting in the Shadow Realm to see the light again, he's the only one that remembers what it's really like in there.

Thief King could Morph the weather to his very whim. Touzoku could heal almost any ailment. Game Master could control armies with the slightest touch of his mind. Soul Stealer could create anything and make it seem so real. Dark God could travel into the darkest depths of the Realm and bring forth creatures long thought dead. And Akeifa…

Well, Akeifa was the last person on earth you wanted to piss off if you liked your limbs attached to your body.

They are my teachers, my constant companions. They are the people I can always turn to when the going gets tough. Without them, I wouldn't exist. Not that I'd be dead – I just wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have been born.

Kaiba always used to say that they couldn't be trusted, but he was wrong. They did fight for our side in the War. They dedicated their lives and their afterlives to fighting _that thing_ and they never backed down. They died fighting _it_.

Yes, they made some bad choices. They became the extremist wing of our movement, leaving Atem's faction behind to fight for their own. They would directly attack the enemy, striking hard and fast, leaving behind the bodies of anyone who got in their way.

The problem with killing a large amount of people at one time is that magic stock piles all the deaths and dumps your punishment on you all at once. It realizes that implementing the Killing Curse while you're in the middle of a battle will end up getting you killed yourself. But when the Curse activates, you could spend hours reliving the deaths of all the people you killed.

The spirits killed a lot of people in order to get towards _him_ and it cost them everything: their minds, their family, their lover, and their very lives.

So, of course, I was going to let them help us fight.

* * *

When I woke up, the sun was shining in my face. There was a buzzing noise coming from somewhere behind my head.

Immediately, I sat up, grabbing at my phone before it shifted over to voicemail. Marik was already in the shower, so I wasn't going to be disturbed.

"Hello?"

"Ryou? Is it…is it you?"

"Amane? Yeah, it's me."

"I didn't know when you're flight would get in," she said. "So I thought I'd just check in on you."

"_You're_ checking in on _me_?" I laughed, "Yeah, I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good, I guess," Amane sighed into the speaker. "I'm on the bus to school."

I frowned, "Don't you usually get a ride from one of your friends?"

"Yeah well…" She paused, "I kind of had a falling out with Tea. You were there and everything, so you know what's going on."

"Still, are you sure that you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Ryou!" She laughed, "I'm not a kid."

"I know you're not," I leaned my head against my pillow. "I…I miss you."

"I miss you, too," Amane's voice was sweat and light. "I – oh crap!"

I nearly leapt off the bed, "What? What happened?"

"Nothing, I just dropped my bag. It's fine!"

I ran my hand through my hair, "Don't freak me out like that."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Bakura, what are you doing?" Marik looked out of the bathroom. I waved my hands in front of my face, hissing for him to go away.

The brat had the utter gull to smirk, "Girlfriend?"

"No!" I shouted.

"Huh? No!" Amane stuttered.

"No, I wasn't talk to you. Annoying roommate," I explained.

"You've got a roommate?" She asked.

"Oi! I'm not annoying!" Marik cackled. "Give me the phone, fluffy! I'll tell her some stories!"

"Marik!" I yelped, turning away as he stepped out of the washroom, "Towel, please! Pants at the very least."

"Huh? Oh shit," The door slammed behind him.

"…was he naked?" Amane asked.

"Kill me, please. Just end the embarrassment now," I turned my eyes skyward in hopes that someone up there was going to take mercy on me.

Amane was laughing at me.

I guess not.

"It sounds like you really are having a good time," she said between chuckles. "And here I was wondering if you were being tortured over there."

"Put your girlfriend on speaker phone, fluffy!" Marik had returned, the bastard. At least he was wearing clothing this time, "She will hear my words of truth!"

"She's not my girlfriend, you idiot!" I scrambled out of his way as he tried to tackle me, "She's my sister!"

"She single?"

"Oh, now you die," I jumped on top of him, dropping my phone on the floor. He tried to shove me off, so I grabbed at his shirt collar.

We both fell to the ground, laughing like idiots. But my glee caught in my throat when I saw the small bit of Marik's back that had been revealed when I wrenched his shirt down.

"Oh my god!" I gasped, jumping away from him, "What happened to you?"

He paled, hiking up his shirt, "N-nothing. Nothing at all."

He picked up my phone and handed it back to me, "I'll see you at breakfast."

He ran outside, slamming the door behind him. I stood still for a second, then placed the phone to my ear, "Amane? You still there?"

"Yeah," she said. "Look, Ryou. I've got to go. No cell phones at school and all that."

"Okay," I stuttered, "Okay. Bye."

She hung up.

I took the quickest shower of my life and ran out the door with my shirt half on. Bag barely on my back, I raced towards the cafeteria, hoping that I'd beat Marik there.

I stopped him in the hallway before he opened the doors, "Marik, god, what the fuck happened?"

"I told you already: nothing," he hissed.

"Bullshit, that's nothing. It looks like Vincent Van Gogh took a knife to your back," I was nearly in hysterics. Who could possibly have done that to Marik?

He winced, "Have you _ever_ heard of subtly?"

"This is different," I growled. "Listen, you can just go to your sister. She'll heal you, it'll be –"

"No Bakura!" he shouted. "It's not fine. It will never _be_ fine. Don't try to help, you can't change anything."

And with that, my best friend stomped away from me, not even looking back.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank all the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Malik'sStalker, Ebony-chan and Ivory-chan, vampiregirl, Coolaloo, and Akikee. Thank you all so much.**

**So lots of stuff was revealed in this chapter. If you have anything that you'd like to ask about, please drop me a line on my forum. I'll answer your questions there.**

**As for the thing with Morgan le Fay, I'll be posting a little history on her on the forum as well. Check that out when you get the chance.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	17. A Truer Monarch

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 17: A Truer Monarch**

_The Children of Toltex were a bit of a disappointment, actually._

_The members were required to show proof that they had one of the six 'special Gifts given to them by the gods,' as they called our extra powers, by making our eyes flash with the magic of our souls. But other then that, there was no other security. Once you made your eyes glow, you were in._

_I didn't even need to pull down the hood of the cloak Atem may or may not have left out for me._

_Speaking of Atem, the princess hadn't shown her face once on my entire trip into town, but I knew that she was here. I wouldn't have been able to make it all the way into the farthest reaches of the city if she hadn't tagged along. I guessed that she was staying just within range for me to travel. It was a nice thing to do, but would be unnecessary if she'd just come with me to the meetings._

_The leaders of the Children were idiots, spewing out words of rebellion and regicide without really considering what they were saying. They were almost laughable._

_However, you could see that there were some very powerful people in that room._

_Like him._

_He sat in the back corner, draped in clothing that looked stifling and foreign. There wasn't much of him that I could see, just shining golden eyes, pale skin, and a few locks of light coloured hair._

_Something about him just screamed unnatural. Maybe it was the way he moved, far too graceful and perfect to be real. Maybe it was the way he seemed to blend in to the background but managed to still be a prominent figure in the room. Maybe it was the aura of power that seemed to surround him._

_Either way, it made me nervous._

_I left halfway through the meeting, bored out of my mind and completely unimpressed. I started heading back to the palace, but a hand shot out from the darkness and spun me around._

_It was the man from the corner. I could see now that his hair was coloured a brilliant sky blue. He was far too bizarre to be human._

_He tilted his head to the side, examining me like a child would a small insect. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck at the intensity of his stare. Then he smiled._

"_A red eyed Magicien," the man spoke with an accent I'd never before, "You have the smell of a dead man walking."_

_I twisted my hand out of his grip and ran down the street, away from the man. He scared me – really scared me. Whatever he was, he couldn't have been natural, couldn't have been human._

_Atem was in bed when I returned, but I doubt she was sleeping. She was probably just pretending. I'd indulge in her obvious delusion for now and tease her about it in the morning. She always looked really strange with a blush across her cheeks._

_It was a good strange, though._

_I took off the cloak and laid it over her. Atem uncurled slightly from her position, gripping it and smiling slightly from the warmth. She muttered something under her breath._

_Suddenly, the room felt very small, like the entire world had condensed down to this tiny space that Atem and I occupied. I noticed the moonlight shining on her face, the curve of her legs under the cloak, the way her hair fell on the bed. I wondered, faintly, if it was as soft as it looked._

_I tore my eyes away from her. What as this? What was going on? This sort of thing was happening more and more lately. I'd notice something – something small at first, like the light shining in her eyes – and then it was all I could focus on. I'd feel very warm and something would tingle in my chest. Maybe it was some sort of spell that was placed on the collar to make me want to stay. It wasn't really necessary at this point; I wasn't about to run away._

_I glanced back one more time and felt the urge to touch…something. Touch her, maybe. I couldn't think properly._

_I remembered that Atem was fourteen. Most girls got married off around that time. I wondered if her father had picked out a husband for her yet._

_But the idea of seeing her standing on a beach, surrounded by white robed people, flower headdress in her hair, made me feel sick. It was probably because a woman's slaves went to the groom upon marriage that made me feel the way I did. I just didn't like the thought that one day I might have to serve…someone else…_

_Had I grown this accustomed to Atem over the years? The last few months had been nice, not having to fight with her over every little thing. But would I ever consider having another master?_

_No, I don't think I would._

_Atem and I just seemed right together, even if we were just secretly, well, I just you could call us friends. We could make it work, whatever it was that we had._

_I reached out slowly, brushing my hand against her face._

_Atem twitched, grunting with signs of waking up. I rushed over to my corner of the room, feigning sleep in a way that would seem hypocritical if my face wasn't burning up the way it was. I heard her sigh, "Idiot."_

_Then the air shifted and the cloak settled down on top of me. It was warm and smelled like an odd combination of her and me._

"_Next time you decide to sneak out, at least warm your hands up from the night air before you decide to do anything weird like that," I didn't even need to look, I could feel her smirking from here._

_But I also didn't need to look to know that Atem's face was just as red as mine._

* * *

_Wednesday, January 18__th__, 2017_

This was turning out to be a really bad week.

Marik wasn't talking to me. He hadn't even looked my way since I saw what was on his back. He sat at a different table at the cafeteria, was always 'asleep' when I entered my room, and became as mute as Strings without Enchantment when I wanted to talk to him. I tried to apologize to him, but nothing I could do would work.

And then there was Atem. Apparently, she had come down with really bad virus. It was highly contagious and it was best for me to stay away for the next few days.

So, no Necromancy and no best friend to talk to. This sucked royally.

At least in Mahad's class we were learning something interesting: how to get rid of another Other's Illusion. It was pretty complicated. We had to match amount of magic in our partner's Illusion and push it away from us. We all took turns going up against Mahad, who stuck us in the middle of some field. The only first year to get out of it was Mana, of course.

"It just clicks," she said when I asked her how she managed to do it on the first try, "Literally. You just feel something that says 'Yep, that's the right amount. Go for it.'"

I had yet to feel any clicking.

Shadi had started some of the older years on Summoning multiple creatures at a time, but allowed me to join in because of my large magical reserve. I had avoided bringing Dark Necrofear into this world since I first met her, so I asked Sangan to introduce me to another Summon.

It was another girl. Something told me the little orange ball of fur was trying to drop a hint, like "Get a girlfriend, you moron!" It's not like I'd be dating any of the people he'd be presenting me to.

"I am Change of Heart," the new creature informed me, "Call me to your world."

She had long red hair that went down to the backs of her knees and wore a simple white dress. Sprouting from her back were a pair of wings; one feathered like an angel, one webbed like a demon.

Change of Heart was quite pretty, I'd admit, but I only went for humans.

I felt a bit dizzy after Summoning the both of them, but at least I wasn't passed out on the ground. I guessed that I was improving.

I could hold them for a long time, too. Half an hour seemed to be my maximum, but I'd been using magic the entire day, so I didn't know what I could do on a full tank.

Shadi approached me after class; "Atem says that she wants to meet you at the regular time in the Combat room. Apparently she has recovered enough to teach again."

I nodded, knowing that it was pointless now to go back to my room and finish my homework. Marik wouldn't be there and I didn't want to tell the others about this yet. They would ask too many questions and I didn't want to bring up Marik's back. I shivered, remembering what I'd seen on that small bit of skin. Who could have possibly done that to him? To anyone, for that matter. It was brutal and barbaric.

After supper, I took the elevator up to the thirteenth floor, humming along to the tuneless music that filled the lift. I wondered if I could ask some of my questions to Atem before she started to teach me Necromancy again. We had a deal, after all.

But Atem wasn't even in the Combat room. She was leaning against the wall beside the door, waiting patiently for my arrival. As the lift doors shut, her head turned towards me. I nodded my head, "Hi."

"Hello, yourself," she smiled slightly, "How are you?"

Considering our conversation the last time we met that was a very valid question, "Better. I had a talk with the spirits on Monday."

She stiffened slightly, but I continued, "Whatever happened between you and them, well, it happened alright. And I can't say that I'm not a little freaked out by it, but its not going to change anything, so…um…yeah…"

Atem looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"They said that you were lovers," I fidgeted.

"Oh," she blushed, "Well, yes, I can see how that would make you feel awkward."

"Yeah…um…yeah."

I found it difficult to look her in the eye. Atem coughed, "Um, to business then?"

"That could work," I chuckled nervously.

She took a breath and let it out, "There are some things that you need to take care of before we discuss anything else. Please, step inside."

Atem's motioned towards the slightly open door. I raised an eyebrow and stepped inside, flicking on the light switch. My heart skipped a beat when I saw what – or rather, who – was inside.

The door shut behind me. I turned around, grabbing the handle and yanking, but it wouldn't budge. I banged on the walls, "Damn it, Atem. Let me out!"

"You!" The spirit of Keith "Bandit" Howard raged at the centre of the room, "What the fuck are you doing here, you little shit?"

"Shut up!" I snapped at him. I wanted to bloody kill him again. Why was he even here?

"You killed me! You god damn killed me! I'll kill you!"

I laughed at him, "Kill me? How are you planning on doing that, huh? You're dead, Keith. You can't do anything now but hope to hell that I help you."

"What the fuck are you smoking?" He stomped up to me, "Why the fuck would I need your help?"

"I'm a Necromancer," I told him, "I make it so that spirit's like you are able to pass on to whatever happens next."

"You're crazy!" Keith spat, "You think you're the Grim Reaper!"

"Then explain how I can see you," my voice was calm, controlled, "You're dead. Normals don't see dead people."

He paled, backing away quickly. Stuttering, he raised his hand and pointed, "Wh-what do you mean, Normals? What the fuck are you on about?"

"There are two groups of people in this world, Keith," I approached him slowly, like a lone-wolf stalking it's prey, "There are Normals like you and Others like me. You asked me how I could move as fast as I did that night. Well, it was because there was magic pumping through my body, allowing me to run as fast as your stupid little car could go. And I'll tell you this, Bandit Keith. I don't care if you get off on playing Russian Roulette, I only used a fraction of my powers when we fought. I could have torn you apart."

He fell to the ground, "How do you know that? You're crazy! You're fucking nuts!"

"I didn't want to kill you, but I did. I don't regret it. And since regret is what keeps spirits in this world, I'm not the one making you stay," I growled, "So whatever it is, just say it and get out of here. I don't want to look at your ugly face any longer than I have to."

"Regret! I don't regret anything! Absolutely nothing!"

"Liar!" I shouted, smirking as he flinched, "What is it that's keeping you here? Come out and say it or you're going to stay here and suffer."

He got to his feet, towering over me. But surprisingly, I didn't feel threatened. I felt like I was the one with the power here. I wonder if this is how Atem felt all the time. She was shorter than most people I knew, but was always the one in control.

"I don't regret _anything_," Keith's lie was obvious, "And your little threats don't scare me."

"I'm not threatening you. It's just the way things are. Doesn't it hurt you, staying here? Why would you cling to this world unless there was something keeping you grounded?" I looked him in the eye, showing no fear, no nothing, "So are you going to let me help you or are you going to sit here and rot? Because I'm fine with either."

We stared each other down, waiting for the other to give in first. Keith twitched, sputtered, and then looked away.

"My mother," he muttered.

"What?"

"I never got to say good-bye to her."

I searched his face for a lie, but found nothing. Sometime told me that I wouldn't be able to do this the easy way.

"If I let you talk to her, you've got to promise not to do anything stupid with my body," I told him.

"What?"

"I'm going to let you possess me so that you can talk to her," I said, "I'm not very good at it, but this is the only way that you're going to be able to move on."

"Why are you doing this?" Keith looked hesitant.

I sighed, "Someone once told me that it didn't matter how a person lives, because it was my job to help any spirit who needed help passing on."

He bit his lip, "Okay, do it."

I raised my hands, "Fio Mihi. Become me."

My eyes burned red as I send my magic out to draw Keith in. This time, though, I felt more confident, like I could do this properly. Strands of liquid water flowed out of me, latching onto him. I could do this, I knew that I could do this.

A full on possession was a whole other level of odd.

I could feel nothing. I had gone completely numb without that annoying tingling of pins-and-needles. Was this what it was like be a spirit? Was this what it was like to be dead? If so, it would only take a serious regret to keep someone like this. How could anyone survive for this long this way?

I could see, but it was blurry – like I was underwater or wearing someone else's glasses. But then the world became sharp, almost too sharp, before going back to blurry. I couldn't breathe, but I didn't need to. It was as startling as when I noticed my own breathing in my first Medicine class.

Keith was standing in front of me, wearing my own clothes, eyes glowing red, and staring at his hands like they were the most fascinating things on the planet. He waved his arms through the air, "I can feel."

"Yeah," speaking without breathing was going to take getting used to, "I've heard that before. What happened?"

"You switched places," Atem appeared out of no where, stepping out of the shadows of an Illusion, "That's what possession is. The dead enters a body, while the living exits it."

"Then why did my body change to his face?" I asked, "Why did – whoa!"

I couldn't handle this complete lack of feeling, lack of life. I tipped forward, but never reached the ground. I couldn't feel her arms as Atem leapt forward and caught me.

"It's quite jarring at first, isn't it?" she smiled down at me. I thought that I should have felt something just then, but there was nothing.

"Ha! Ha! This is amazing! I can feel!" Keith was celebrating.

"We had a deal, call you're mom and move on," I growled back at him.

"Deal? Fuck your deal! You can't stop me," he laughed mockingly, "I can do anything now!"

"Bakura," Atem's voice was cold as ice, "Stay here. And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

She stepped away from me, bare feet hardly making a sound against the floor as she moved towards Keith. He stepped forward, cocky and sneering.

"Speak to your mother," she said, "And then leave Bakura's body."

"Who do you think you are?" Keith grin showed too much teeth, reaching out towards her, "Do you know who I am?"

It was over in an instant. Atem grabbed his arm and effortlessly snapped his wrist with an audible crack. Then she spun, knocking Keith's feet out from under him. He landed on his rear, swearing up a storm.

"I don't care who you are, boy. I am far older than you could even imagine. I have seen things – done things – that you would never believe possible. And I've met people like you. They all thought that they could do anything with a little power. Do you know what happened to them?" she asked, but never wanted a reply, "They died. They all died. And then they all left this world for whatever comes next and that was it. So I'll tell you one more time: speak to your mother and then leave Bakura's body, or, so help me, I will send you to the deepest depths of damnation I can find."

I stood there, staring at this tiny wisp of a girl as she stood her ground against the monster that tried to destroy my sister. She was strong and powerful, ancient life existing in the present. Atem was royalty, a truer monarch than any I'd seen on the television before.

This was might and this was greatness.

This was Princess Atem of Tikal, heiress to the Mayan throne, the woman warrior who had commanded an army to walk away from the palace and fight bandits in the forest.

I wanted to feel something just then, really wanted to be amazed or intrigued or something else. But I was a spirit, detached from humanity and emotion. I felt nothing, not even happiness or sadness. Not even the feeling that I existed.

Keith shook, but used his good hand to dial his mother's number into the phone. He twitched as he held it to his ear, before whispering his message into the speaker so that we couldn't hear him. I suspected that Atem knew how to read lips, or at the very least knew a spell that would allow her to understand what he was saying. If he weren't talking to whom he said he would, she'd probably have broken another bone.

Keith hung up, replacing my phone in my pocket. He stood, clutching his arm, "All right. I'm done. What now – oh!"

I sensed it first, then understood what was happening. I smelled water – oh, thank god, _feeling_ – and the ocean. Flames erupted around Keith, pulling him from my body, consuming his soul and sending it off to where ever it was destined to do.

Then I was yanked forward, slipping back into my body. I felt tiny feelers attaching to my soul, but I was more interesting in the actual touching then what it was doing. Even after just a few minutes of feeling nothing, I was already starved for contact.

I opened my eyes, yelping at the stabbing pain in my left wrist. I heard the padding of feet, the rustling of clothing and then the feeling of my bones threading back together, shifting back into place. I just lay on the floor, reveling in the coolness of the floor and my own breathing.

Then there were fingers in my hair, running through the strands and slowly untangling the knots that they found along the way. My eyes widened, knowing just whose fingers those were.

"What – what are you doing?" I asked, my voice very tight.

"It's a bit of a shocker, going from feeling nothing to feeling everything. This is to get you used to touch again," she explained.

"Oh…um…alright," my mouth felt very dry, "Why did my body change to look like Keith's?"

"When you enter your Soul Room, you look exactly like how you do outside. Or rather, you look outside exactly like you do inside. What a body looks like is dependant on the appearance of the soul," she explained.

"Hmmm?"

"When a soul leaves its body, through something like death, the body looses its features," Atem explained. Her fingers were a bit distracting. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on her voice, "If another soul were to enter said body, it would take on the features of that soul."

"But I thought bodies just decomposed after death and how they looked was based on genetics," I crawled forward, wrapping my arms around her waist and laying my head on her lap. Atem fingers disappeared back into my hair, "It's science, not magic."

"Most scientists don't believe in magic. Most people don't believe in it either."

"Don't I know it," I chuckled, thinking of all the people at Domino High, of my sister, "Wouldn't it be nice, though, if people knew."

"Who would believe us?" she asked, "Not many, with the Ward in full effect."

"Still, it would be interesting. Very…very nice," I liked it when her nails dragged over my scalp, "We wouldn't have to hide like this. People would know the truth about the world, about the way things really are."

"Maybe some day," I could feel her smiling.

"You'll live to see it," I raised my head to look at her, "What happened to make you live so long?"

She sighed, "In magic, there are two taboos. One must never end a life before it's time and one must never return life after it is over. You've already experienced what happens to someone who commits the first taboo. You relive the last moments of the person you killed."

"And the punishment for the second?" I asked.

Her hands stilled, "When you cause death, you feel the pain of dying. When you try to take something death has already claimed, your death is taken from you."

I sat up, gazing into her eyes. The was no sadness in them, just the knowledge of what she'd become, "You tried to bring someone back to life."

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Who?"

"A good man," Atem smiled, warm and nostalgic, "A good friend."

"And you failed?" I wanted to know more. I wanted _them_ to know more. I felt the spirits moving around in my mind, looking for a vantage point. I tugged at the mental opening with my magic, hoping to make it wider. A sensation of gratitude and relief washed over me.

"No, I succeeded," she corrected me, "His heart beat six extra times before he passed back into the realms beyond death."

"Who was he to you?" I whispered.

She put her hand on my chest, right over my heart, "He was worth it."

We stayed like that for a few moments, gazing at each other. I'd noticed it before, but for some reason it was very clear that Atem had maroon eyes. I could see a faint and faded scar across her right cheekbone, a wound from a previous battle. I wondered if her hands were rough or smooth. Princesses were always said to have soft hands, but Atem worked hard for a living.

There was a knock at the door. I moved away quickly as Kaiba and Kisara moved into the room. Atem stood, dusting herself off, while I tried to calm my blush.

"Seto. Kisara," Atem greeted them both.

"Is it done?" Kaiba focused solely on his adoptive mother (that was going to take some getting used to).

"Yes, Bakura here was able to successfully become possessed by an outward spirit and sent them on," she answered.

"Good, because I don't like having bodies around any longer than I have to," he glanced over at me, before looking back at Atem, "I'll have it disposed of then."

"Thank you, Seto," she answered.

I blinked. Body? I spun around – holy crap! How had I not noticed that?

Keith's body was propped up in the far corner. It looked surprisingly healthy for a body that was over a week old. It wasn't dripping, per say, but definitely decomposing.

No, not decomposing. That was the scientific term. Keith's body was losing its features because his soul no longer inhabited it. It was kind of amazing, in a totally disgusting way.

Kaiba waved his hand in the general direction of the body. I thought-smelled earth, but something was different about it. It was dry and sandy, the kind of dust you get when a summer drought descends upon an area. I looked around for an explanation. Kisara took pity on me.

"Morphing usually turns one thing into another, but what Seto did was stop half way. He made it so the body of your…acquaintance there simply ceased to exist."

"Cool," I said with raised eyebrows. I turned to Atem. "I'll see you on Friday then?"

As she smiled slightly, I thought of her fingers running through my hair and her smell as I lay in her lap. Atem had been warm to the touch, not scolding but pleasant.

"Yes, if I remain well enough," she answered.

I wondered, much like the slave I'd been twelve hundred years ago, if her hair was soft. I wondered why the light seemed to reflect so brightly in her eyes.

I wondered what the hell was wrong with me.

* * *

My sister yelled at me once in a fit of rage, "Who'd want to be with you?"

It wasn't the first time I'd heard those words. They didn't always come from Amane's mouth. Sometimes it would be Tea Gardner or Joey Wheeler. Once it had been Duke Devlin. "Who'd want to be with you?"

It's a technique that teacher's use: when you want students to remember something, you repeat it to them. Usually three times is enough for it to stick. So when I heard those words, over and over again, I started to believe them. Who'd want to be with me? I was a freak, a loser. No one wanted that as their boyfriend.

I believed for years that I'd die alone, probably before my twentieth birthday, like my father was always saying, in a gang war. I'd bleed out in some alley way and no one would miss me when I was gone.

So when I heard that Atem had been the lover of my past incarnations, I was baffled. Weren't these people essentially me? Did that mean that I might have a chance with someone? I didn't want to believe that being part of some intimate partnership was even a possibility for me, but still the idea hung over me.

I think that, back then, I was incredibly confused. Life seemed to contradict itself: no one would want to be with me because of what I was and yet here someone had been with me in my past lives. It didn't help that the slave in my dreams was starting to feel something other than friendship for his mistress.

And so began my foolish, crazy, and slightly creepy _crush_ on Princess Atem of Tikal that would eventually lead me to make some of the worst mistakes of my life.

Do I regret it? Hell fucking no, because it also showed me that Tea, Joey, Duke and even Amane were all wrong.

I was in for one wild ride.

* * *

_Friday, January 20__th__, 2017_

I raised my hand and knocked thrice on the door. There was some shuffling and then the thought-smell of burning rubber.

String's voice rang in my head, "Come in."

I opened the door. Atem had recommended that I speak to him, so there I was.

String's, for all his eccentric appearance, was a pretty mellow guy. He was the stereotypical Goth kid on the outside: shaved head, facial piercings, black make up, and a dog collar. But I'd never seen the guy get angry or overly violent. He was always calm and controlled, bobbing his head to a tune that he couldn't hum.

"Hey, can we talk about something?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow, speaking in my mind, "What's up?"

"This is going to sound really weird, but…" I paused, unsure of what to say next.

Strings sighed, "Trust me when I say that nothing is weird when it comes to my life."

"Have you ever lost total control of your magic and…really hurt someone?" I blurted out. He blinked, then leaned over to check the bathroom.

"Weevil's not here. He's probably hanging out with Rex. Those two are attached at the hip, I tell you," String looked back at me, "I don't want him hearing this."

He closed his eyes, looking very tired, "How old do you think I am, Bakura?"

I frowned at the question. Strings was in third year like Mako. Wouldn't he be the same age? "Nineteen. Maybe twenty. Why?"

"I'm sixteen," he corrected me, "I came to Atlantis when I was thirteen."

"Wait, what? Why?" How could that be possible? Didn't they usually wait until you were almost finished with high school before they whisked you off to this place?

"There were special circumstances," Strings continued with his story, "I couldn't stay at home anymore. My parents would call the cops if I went back there."

"What are you talking about?"

He sat down hard on his bed, "I always knew that I was different, even when I was young. My parents thought I was possessed by a demon or something. They hired an exorcist to get it out of me."

I had a hard time believing that someone could be possessed without being a Necromancer. But then again, Strings' parents were Normals. They wouldn't know that it was impossible or that some demons, like Sangan, could actually be our friends.

"Anyways, I panicked – like, really panicked. And the next thing I knew, the exorcist guy was dead on the ground. And then I saw…" he closed his eyes, unable to continue.

"You saw his death. You _were_ him," I finished for him.

Strings glanced at me, "You too, huh?"

"Yeah, my sister's now ex-boyfriend," I told him, "It was an accident. I had to help him pass on, too, a few days ago."

"That's right, you have to deal with people after they die. That must really suck for you."

"That's one way of putting it," I scoffed, "So your parents did that because of the Ward? That's horrible."

"It wasn't because of the Ward, but it helped." Strings took a breath, "They tried to exorcise me because I'm gay."

I probably should have been more shocked then I was. It's just that I'd never met someone who was so open about their sexuality. I mean, I was pretty sure that there were some kids at Domino who weren't straight; they just weren't out of the closet yet.

"Oh, that…" I stuttered, "That's alright, I guess."

He was smirking, "Freaked you out a bit, didn't it. Don't worry, I don't go for weedy guys."

"What, am I not good enough for you?" I joked, "You know I realize that just because you're gay, you aren't attracted to every guy you see. I'm straight and I don't want to make out with every girl I meet."

"That's pretty wise," Strings said.

"It's common sense," I countered.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

I fidgeted. How was I supposed to tell people about the voices in my head that belonged to my previous reincarnations lived in my head? That I dreamt of Atem in her younger days? Would people believe me?

"I'm alright. Thanks," I lied, sighing.

"For what?"

"Talking. It's nice to be able to talk to someone my age that understands," I said.

Strings raised an eyebrow, "You didn't try to talk to Kaiba or Moto did you? They're hopeless when it comes to any sort of counseling."

"No, not them," I chuckled, imagining Kaiba sitting in a wing back chair with a small notebook, asking if I wanted to talk, "I should probably get going."

"I guess so. Marik will be worried about you," String looked away.

"Maybe," I whispered, remembering that my roommate and I were still not talking, "I'll see you around."

"See you around," String waved, "And thank you."

"For what?"

"For accepting," he said, "For not being like them."

I nodded, "Same. Later."

I walked out of the room, feeling a lot lighter. Atem was right. I wasn't the only one who had killed someone before. I wasn't alone in this.

* * *

"_There's _what_ coming?" I gaped, not believing the words that came from Atem's mouth._

"_Ancients. Three of them," she repeated, "They'll be staying for a while. Oh, I wonder if I'll be able to talk to them and learn some new spells. And speaking of spells, are you practicing?"_

"_Of course," I scoffed, "What do you take me for?"_

_Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, "I'm glad."_

"_Maybe we can get some more information on our extra powers," I tossed a piece of clothing at her. She caught it, wrapping the cloth around her body. It was a formal robe that was to be worn for ceremonies, though it was creased with disuse._

_Atem stiffened, "We can't do that. What if someone were to guess why we were requesting that information?"_

"_Yeah, but you're the one who asks, it'll be fine," I looked at her, "You're the Warrior Shaman who killed a Death Touch. If you ask, people will think that you're trying to better arm yourself against your enemy."_

"_Stop it, Bakura," I was taken aback at her anger, "You know very well that I can't do that. I am the Princess. I can't be affiliated with…anything like that." She whispered her final words._

"_You're not, you're –_

The dream changed, suddenly and unexpectedly unlike the way dreams usually do.

_I couldn't move my limbs, rope held me down and burned when I tried to escape. Something was stuffed my mouth so that I couldn't speak or scream. Tears ran down my face._

_The back of my shirt was ripped off. I squirmed in my confines, blood dripping down my wrists and ankles. I turned my head to see my captor._

_He was older, with dark skin and greying hair. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes as he heated a knife against a candle. He turned to me and smiled, "Don't worry, Marik. It will all make sense some day."_

_He stepped towards me, "The message needs to be passed on, my son. The message needs to be read by the old woman. She will know what to do with it. The old woman will know."_

_The knife was raised. I turned my head away and pain seared up my back as the first cut was made. The man kept cutting and cutting and cutting. Blood stained the sheets around me as I screamed into the gag. I wanted it to stop. I wanted him to go away. I wanted my sister and brother to come and save me, but they were away at that school learning about magic. I was scared-scared-scared, why was this happening to me?_

* * *

_Monday, January 23__rd__, 2017_

I woke up with a jolt, the smell ozone and burning rubber filling my mind. I was screaming and shouting and crying, clawing at my back. I was frightened and wanted to curl up in a hole and die, just to get away from that man.

But wait? He'd called me Marik. I wasn't Marik. Marik was sleeping in the bunk bed above me. Marik was cool and awesome, the big brother and best friend that I never had.

I stopped yelling, but the screams didn't stop. I looked up at the bottom of the bed in front of me, knowing exactly whose dream that had been.

And suddenly the scars on Marik's back made sense, in a sick, disgusting way that made me want to vomit.

I climbed up to his bunk, grabbing at his thrashing figure, "Marik! Marik! Damn it, wake up!"

His eyes snapped open and he shot backwards against the headboard. He looked wild, hair sticking up at wild angles and veins strained in his neck. His teeth were bared like an animal who'd been backed into a corner.

"Marik," I spoke with a calm, soothing voice, "He's gone. He'll never hurt you again, I promise."

He looked for a second like he was going to bolt, but then reach out with a hesitant hand. His voice was pitifully sad, "Promise?"

"Promise," I held out my own hands, placing them gently around his. Marik gasped at the contact. I wondered if this was the first time in years that anyone had ever really touched his skin.

Marik looked like he was going to cry, but not for a single second did I think that it was unmanly or weak. He'd experienced something so horrible, so terrible, but he'd _survived_ it. He'd lived through something that would have caused anyone else to crumple.

Marik was truly the most amazing person I knew.

"Why?" he asked, "Why? Why would Father do something like that? Fathers don't do things like that to their sons, so why?"

I couldn't tell him why because I didn't know. I squeezed his hand, "Being an Other really sucks sometimes, doesn't it."

Marik let out a strangled that might have been a laugh, might have been a sob, "Yeah, it really does."

I almost told him that I loved him. That was something that I'd never said to anyone other than my sister, and even then it was worded differently. I'd never imagined saying it to another guy before.

But the words never came out. So I just squeezed his hand again. We'd talk about this later, but until then, all I could do was be there to him.

And be there for him I would.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I would like to thank the reviewers for the last chapter: Ebony-chan and Ivory-chan, Malik'sStalker, Coolaloo, and Akikee. Thanks for everything!**

**A couple things before I let you all go. The first is that I've posted a small bio on each of the other Bakura's on my forum. It's got things like their backgrounds, cause of death, and personality. If you have any questions on them, you can ask there.**

**Also, you may have noticed that I posted another story called The Normals: Not Blind. It is a little blurb that I wrote that is dedicated to my favourite Normal (introduced so far) Duke Devlin. Its got a few spoilers as to what's going to happen in much later chapters of this story, so be warned if you are going to read it.**

**So, that's about it for announcements about things not relating to this chapter. As for the stuff relating to chapter 17, I will officially say that, yes, Bakura (both of them) are totally crushing on Atem at this moment. As for what she feels...well, Atem is complicated as usual. Also, you get a little info on what happened to Marik's back. It's a bit of a homage to what happened to Canon!Marik, though the scars are different. They will return, so keep them in mind.**

**If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, drop me a line on my forum or leave me a review. Either way, I will get back to you as soon as I can.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	18. The Dead Should Stay Dead

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer: **Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 18: The Dead Should Stay Dead**

_Tuesday, January 24__th__, 2017_

"I was twelve," Marik explained as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the window, "Ishizu and Odion were at Atlantis – the old campus at Alcatraz. They kept coming home each month with new stories, new magic tricks that they could do. I was so jealous of them.

"Father was always a bit odd. He claimed that he could see things that no one else could. But that was impossible because Father was a Normal. He was probably just an undiagnosed schizophrenic. I never found out."

He took a shuddering breath, pulling at the fabric of his pajama bottoms before continuing, "And one day I woke up tied to my bed. Father kept muttering about an old woman needing to see a message, that it was the only way she'd be able to get it. I don't understand – why? What old woman? What message?"

"Marik," I asked softly, "Would it be alright if I saw? The whole thing."

He nodded, pulling his shirt over his head and turning his back to me. The bottom of my stomach dropped. Oh my god.

It was horrifyingly beautiful. Jagged pink scars ran up and down his back, forming tiny little shapes that I vaguely recognized. They were surrounding a picture of an eel-like creature, twisting and coiling around itself.

I reached inward and tried to call for the spirits, asking if they'd ever seen anything like this before.

_No,_ Akeifa answered, _That poor boy. His father did this to him?_

_It looks like someone tried to heal him before he bled out. They did a good job,_ I heard Touzoku murmur.

"And he just…" I couldn't finish, couldn't even think about what Marik must have gone through, "How are you still alive?"

"I accidentally Teleported myself into Ishizu's room at Atlantis," he explained, "Nearly killed myself doing it. Magic is really unstable in the first few years after you develop it. I forget most of what happened afterwards, though I heard that Odion nearly went batshit insane on Father."

"And your dad? What happened to him?"

"He's in some prison for the criminally insane," Marik muttered, "Mother ran off with the neighbour years before. She's living in Chicago right now and wants nothing to do with us. She still sends checks sometimes."

"Checks?"

"Child support. She doesn't legally have to send them anymore, not since I turned eighteen. And we made enough money selling off all of Father's stuff. It's nice to know that she still cares enough, though. Either that or she's forgotten how old we all are."

He sighed, turning around and putting his shirt back on, "I hate it, being scared all the time. Scared that someone will touch me and it'll hurt like that knife. And Mana – god, Mana!"

"What about Mana?" I asked.

"I can't even will myself to hold her hand, Bakura," he looked angry with himself, "How the fuck am I supposed to do what I want to do around her?"

My jaw dropped, 'You – you _like_ Mana?"

"I thought you knew that already!" Marik exclaimed.

"Well, sort of, but it was just a guess," I threw my hands up in defense, "Well, this is kind of awkward."

"You don't – " he stuttered, "Shit, you don't like her too, do you?"

"What? No! No!" I shook my head, "No! I mean, she's great and all, but no. It's awkward because I have no idea what to say right now. I should be saying something wise and life altering, but have no idea what."

Marik stared at me like I had just admitted to religiously watching My Little Pony and listening to the Backstreet Boys. And then he started to laugh. I thought for a moment that he might have broken something important in his brain.

"Are you all right?" I asked hesitantly.

"You – you are un-freaking-believable!" Marik wheezed between gasps, "Here we are, talking about – and all you can say is –" He went back to laughing.

"Glad to know that you're feeling better," I smirked.

"Yeah. Yeah," he tried to calm himself down, "Thanks, Fluffy"

"Well, that's what friends are for, brat," I grinned.

"Still, thanks," Marik smiled warmly.

He climbed down to the ground and moved towards the washroom to take a shower. I called after him just as he was about to step inside, "Mana would rather die than hurt you. I hope you realize that."

Marik stopped, paused for a second, and then looked back with a gut wrenchingly pitiful expression on his face.

"I know."

* * *

"I presume that you two have gotten over your little lovers spat," Mai grinned lecherously.

Marik turned to me, "If you hold her down, I'll grab some scissors and we can cut off all her hair."

My knife flickered into my hand, "Who needs scissors?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" she smirked.

Mana giggled slightly. I saw Marik's eyes shift over to hers for a second.

I wondered what it would be like to have someone like that.

"Oh, you are all too funny," Mana's voice was light hearted and joyful, "What would I do without you?"

"You'd survive," Marik joked, flashing one of his bright smiles at her. I could see his hand twitching towards her own. He wanted to touch her hands, but couldn't muster up the courage to do so.

Mana saw this and her face softened, blushing slightly. Marik looked off to the side, embarrassed.

And then my phone rang, buzzing in my pocket against my hip. I excused myself, rushing outside.

"Amane," I knew who was on the other end of the line, "Morning, sister."

"Hi, Ryou!" I could hear her smiling, "How are you?"

This was a familiar conversation. Almost everyday since I'd come back to Atlantis, she'd called me on her bus ride to school. We talked of mundane things, like what the teachers were assigning for homework or what things were happening amongst the school population. She'd joined a club recently: it was a big, slightly geeky computer oriented thing. I was pretty surprised when she told me about it. Usually, she had nothing to do with 'those type of people' or 'those types of things.'

But she was happy, so I was glad for her. Amane was finally enjoying herself again.

As breakfast started to whind down, I said good-bye and shuffled back into the room.

"Your sister?" Mai asked, "How come she keeps calling?"

I hadn't explained the exact circumstances that had caused Amane's sudden attachment to me, just that it was a bad break up. Strings knew the truth, as did Atem, her adoptive son (okay, I was never going to get used to that), and Moto, but that was it. Oh, and Kisara, too.

"Don't know, but I'm fine with it," I said.

"It's really weird," she frowned in thought, "I mean, I've heard of Normals who are able to withstand the Ward, but even they're wary of being around Others. I guess the fact that it's over the phone and not an actual face-to-face conversation is what's helping. Sight usually activates the Ward."

"I know," I sighed, "Moto warned me that she might go back to the way she used to be eventually. I'm not getting my hopes up."

We put away our trays and headed up to the Combat room. Mai put her hand on my shoulder and pulled me aside. She told Marik and Mana to go on ahead.

Then she turned to me, "You're not alright, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Something's changed in you," she looked worried, "In your eyes. You look older."

I looked away. She sighed, "Look, if you want to talk, then I'm here for you. If you don't, well, I'm still going to be here. You're not alone, Bakura."

I gripped her hand, smiling crookedly, "Thanks, Mai."

"No problem, hun."

We caught up to the others shortly afterwards. Marik turned back and grinned, "So, you two settled _your_ lover's spat?"

Mai turned to me, "Still got that knife?"

Mana just laughed at us poor fools.

* * *

Atem was waiting for me inside the Combat room later that evening. I guessed that she wasn't about to lock me in there with another spirit of someone I used to know and force me to deal with them.

Before she opened her mouth to tell me what we were going to be doing today, I asked my question, "Who are the Ancients?"

Her fists clenched at her side and a look of – crap, that was scary – utter rage passed over her face. I realized that she completely _despised_ the Ancients, whoever they were.

"The Ancients Ones!" her mouth scrunched up in anger as she spat on the floor, "Bah! Egotistical, disgusting idiots! They may have created Latin – and it is a great language, a powerful language – but the Ancients!"

She broke off, shouting out words in Mayan. I believed that it was safe to assume that Atem was not blessing them with good health nor wishing them a pleasant day.

"Okay…um, but who were these egotistical, disgusting idiots?" I asked hesitantly.

She continued to pace, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm herself. After several minutes of frightening back and forth growling, she screamed. She motioned towards the far end of the classroom. Blood-coloured flames rushed away from her hands, blasting at the targets with rage and fury.

Atem turned from me, hugging herself, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I can leave," I offered.

"No, you deserve to know," her shoulders slumped. I stepped forward.

"It's alright, take your time."

She turned, eyes now shining with agony, pain beyond anything I'd ever seen before. I felt horrible, but I had no idea why.

"The Ancients," Atem started off slowly, "are the oldest civilization on the Earth. They existed long before any human civilization ever kicked off. They were very advanced for their time period. The Ancient Ones invented those metal flying contraptions of yours long before humans created ever the wheel."

"Planes," I supplied.

"Yes, those things," she continued.

"What happened to them?" I asked.

"They died off," Atem said off handedly as we sat down on the floor, "The perfect race of beings destroyed itself in a single night. Oh sure, there were some survivors that wondered the earth for some time, but they were a very dead culture by the time I was born. It's been almost 10,000 years since they had a city to call their own."

"And there's nothing? No evidence of them even existing? Wait," I stopped mid-sentence, thinking through what I'd just said. Could it be…?

"There's more than one Cut Off, isn't there?" I said, remembering the dream I'd had that inspired me to inquire about the Ancients in the first place. The slave that I'd once been (yet another thing that I had to get used to admitting) had asked if Atem they could find out more information on Overpowers from the visitors, "There are things about magic that even you don't know!"

"There will always be things about magic that I won't know, even with my considerable age. Though I do appreciate the complement," she blushed slightly. Something stirred in my chest. "Yes, there was a Cut Off before the current one. They were both caused by similar events. They even had similar outcomes."

"What caused it?"

She sighed, looking downwards, "That is a question for another time. You are not ready for the answer."

I felt a little put off, but realized that this was part of our deal. Atem wasn't going to give me all the information I asked for at once, but she would tell me eventually.

"Okay, you said that they had similar outcomes. What were the results of…whatever happened back then?" I changed my question, leaning forward like an eager student. She smiled slightly at my antics.

"A Cut Off happened." Atem started up again, "It was a massive erasel of magic. Everything that had been learned up to that point was destroyed. Magic literally had to reinvent itself from the ground up in order to survive."

"But what about you?" I asked, "You're from before the second Cut Off and people remember you. You haven't forgotten anything."

"I suspect that, even though it was originally intended as a punishment, my curse was what gave magic something to hold on to throughout the ages so that it wouldn't disappear," she explained, "Maybe that's why it brought you alone, as well – to be something to hang on to."

"You don't know _why_ I'm here?" I was shocked. Atem always seemed to have the answers.

"Sadly, no. I just know that you are here, that you will appear. Other than that, I know nothing."

"Oh." There was nothing more that I could really say to that. So I decided to go back to my original question, "The Ancients that came to visit you, what were they like?"

She stiffened once more, "They were…interesting to say the least. They weren't human, that's for sure. They looked like humans, talked like humans, but they weren't. It's difficult to describe it. They were disgustingly arrogant, though."

"Really?"

"They looked at us like were insects under their shoes," she explained, "Like we weren't worth breathing the same air as them. I hate them." Atem sighed, "I'd like not to continue this conversation. It is making my quite angry. Would you mind if we focused on something else?"

"Alright," I sighed, figuring that I'd find out eventually what they were like for myself, "What's on the list of things to do tonight."

"I want to see if you can pull off another possession," she stood, stretching as she did. "We should go to a different graveyard. That woman that we met that one time has come back a few times to try and see us again. I thought that it would be safer if we went somewhere else."

"I could pull off another possession!" I shouted indignantly.

"The last time you tried," Atem sighed, "you were under a lot of duress. You simply wanted to get rid of that spirit as soon as possible. I want to see if you can become possessed under more…simpler circumstances."

"Fine," I pouted. She smiled a little.

"Good. Now come on. We have work to do."

* * *

_Friday, January 27__th__, 2017_

"Ryou-boy!"

Go to hell, Pegasus.

"What?"

"Can you explain something to me?"

"I can try," I said, exasperated.

"Why is it that you have made absolutely _no_ progress in this class since the beginning of term?" He sighed, "Are you simply not trying or is it something else?"

I wanted to bang my head against a wall. I'd given up months ago on Enchantment. I just couldn't seem to do anything with it. I sat, slumped over my chair in the back of the class. My friends had long since stopped asking me to participate, knowing that I was down right useless. They were moving on the memory manipulation while I was still struggling to form a mental shield.

I rolled my eyes, "I was trying, but that's not happening anymore."

"Ryou-boy," the teacher's eyes became cold and hard, "Do you remember what I taught you on your first lesson; that Enchantment is the most dangerous of all the branches of magic."

"I remember," I yawned. He'd been trying this for a while now. Nothing was going to work.

"I think you might need a little refresher course," Pegasus frowned.

"Look, sir," I snapped, "I've been trying. I've been trying since the first day. But I haven't got any talent for Enchantment at all."

"You need to learn how to defend yourself from mental attacks!" He was practically shouting now.

"Who's going to be attacking me? Normals can't do anything to pry open my mind. Why should I be worrying?" I put my head down on the table. Pegasus snapped.

"You seem to be under the misguided impression that all Others are friendly."

And then the smell of ozone flooded my mind.

I remembered being here before, this white blank space where I couldn't feel my body. I knew what this was, the place where I was shoved into whenever someone decided to mess with my body and make me do weird things. I hated that I sucked at Enchantment and I wanted out!

"_He always knew what people were thinking."_ Atem's words from almost two weeks ago echoed in my mind. Of course! Even though I was incapable of using Enchantment, there were people in my mind who did!

I reached into myself, my soul, reaching with watery ribbons and yanked Game Master from his Room. I explained, wordlessly with emotion and memories, what I wanted. He scoffed, but agreed, saying that he didn't want to be out anymore than he had to. He'd leave the moment he was done.

I shoved him down the dark hallway and into my body.

* * *

Who did the boss think he was, ordering _me_ around? _I_ didn't care if he was _my_ only connection to the world of the living anymore. _I_ was a noble and he was a common whelp. _I_ didn't want to be here. _I_ was happier just being dead.

If _I_ were dead, _I_ wouldn't have to face her anymore. _I_ wouldn't have to look upon M'lady anymore than _I_ had to.

But _I_ would never be able to live with it (or die with it, as _I_ was no longer alive) if some spoiled merchant wrech ever got the better of _me_ in a game of the minds. _I_ was the greatest Enchanter to exist on God's earth. The likes of this brat would not win against _me_.

_I_ clawed _my_ way into the boss's body and opened his eyes. The familiar pressure of someone trying to enter _my_ mind was there, but _I_ pushed it back with some of _my_ own red magic. Then, as the boy backed away from _my_ sudden block of his advances, _I _pushed forwards with _my_ mind and sent him flying towards the other side of the room.

_I_ could have done more, but if _I_ stayed any longer, the boss would pop out into reality at a spirit and then other people around would know exactly what had happened.

_I_ retreated back into _my_ Soul Room, leaving the boss to re-inhabit his body. He better not call on _me_ again to sort out one of his petty little problems. _I_ didn't want to go back out there ever again.

The dead should stay dead. They weren't supposed to walk the Earth. It was unnatural, ungodly even. She played with the dead. _I_ didn't want to be one of her playthings again.

She'd played _me_ for a fool once. She'd never loved _me_. Atem lied.

* * *

I felt my soul become reattached to my body as me sense of touch returned. I breathed air into my lungs, revealing in the rush of coolness down my throat. I opened my eyes and saw chaos.

Pegasus was sprawled on the floor, surrounded by a couple of overturned desks. The class was silent, staring at me like…like…

Like Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor did. Like Duke Devlin did before I knocked some sense into him. Like my sister before the death of Keith Howard.

Like I was a freak.

I tensed under their gazes, teeth grinding together and fingers fisted. I could withstand them, because I was strong. I could do this. I could…

There was a loud smack, like hands coming together. It happened again and again. I turned around and there was Marik, smirk on his face and applauding.

"Finally," he grinned, "You managed something."

I wanted to tell him that it wasn't really me who did it, but I grinned anyways. Come to think of it, the spirits were a part of me. I could use them like an extra set of powers, if I needed it. If they let me, of course.

_No, never again_, Game Master huffed from within me, _Don't even think about dragging me into your life._

Still smiling, I figured that I could work out some sort of deal with them later. It wouldn't be fair for them to be cooped up in my mind all the time.

Pegasus rose to his feet behind me, shaking, "That was not you!"

"No offense, Pegasus," Marik walked over and started righting the desks, "I don't think it could have been anyone else. You were in Bakura's mind."

He ignored my roommate, looking straight back at me, "That may have been your body, but it was not your mind inhabiting it. But that's impossible. Necromancers can't use the spirits of Others. It's never been done before. Not even that little cheat can do it."

I tried to ignore the rage that filled me when he called Atem a cheat. Wasn't he the one that cheated anyways? She'd beat him fair and square.

"If Atem can't do it, then what makes you think that I ever could?" I tried to cover up my nervousness. If that was true, how could I let the spirits of my past self possess me?

Yet another thing to ask Atem in the future.

"Get out," Pegasus growled, "Get out of my classroom and never come back!"

Not wanting to argue (because, let's face it, I had better things to do with my time), I grabbed my things and, after shooting my friends a look not to interfere, I left.

I had a free forty minutes before I had to head over to Medicine, so I went back to my room and grabbed my sketchbook. I passed by pages filled with expressions and hands, the familiar faces of friends. Then, when I reached a page of half finished eyes, I picked a pencil out of my bag and put the lead to the paper. I traced and shaded my heart's content before I had to pack up and go to my next class.

Marik placed himself next to me as I tried to burn away the virus from a small cat. Apparently, Ishizu had made a deal with a local vet to cure some of the really sick animals. The owner was a relative of an Atlantis graduate and known for 'miracle cures.' The woman was could apparently withstand the Ward like Devlin and or Serenity. She allowed us to heal some of the pets to help us practice our powers.

The small black cat – a kitten actually – blinked up at me with its big eyes. She purred, chest vibrating as she did, as my fingers ran through her fur, knowing how good that felt.

I sputtered at my own thoughts. Why the hell was I remembering Atem doing…_that_…again? The memory of her _petting_ me was still fresh on my mind, but it was just to get me used to touch again. Yeah, of course. There was nothing else.

"Okay, what happened?" Marik asked. I yelped.

"Nothing, nothing! There's nothing going on between us!" Crap-crap-crap! How did he guess? Did Marik read my mind and see that Atem and I were practically cuddling a week ago? That I'd kissed her?

"Between you and the cat?" He raised an eyebrow, "That's someone else's pet. You can't keep it."

"Um…yeah, I knew that," I felt really silly. I hadn't sensed anything, so how could Marik have used magic?

"Anyways," he looked around for eavesdroppers. Finding none, he continued, "What really happened in Enchantment today?"

"Nothing, I just blasted him. By accident," I clarified.

"Fluffy, I may have covered for you, but I'm not an idiot."

"You – you what?" I gaped. The kitten started to complain with a meow that was far to loud for such a small being when I removed my hand. I resumed my patting like the good, trained, and totally whipped human that I was.

He rolled his eyes, "You forget that my sister is a Seer. I've seen her use her Overpowers before, so I know about the eye thing. Your eyes were red – completely red."

I hesitated, "Look, I'll tell you later."

"You better." he looked worried, "You heard Pegasus: Necromancers can't use the spirits of Others. If your in over your head on something…"

He left his sentence hanging, letting me guess what he'd meant. Then he reached forward quickly, gripped my bare arm with his hand, nails digging into my skin as he hissed. Marik fled after a few seconds of contact.

I sighed. At least he was getting better with touching people. I guess that I had to explain what was going on to him now. Either that or come up with some lie that would sate Marik's curiousity.

_I don't mind if you tell him about us,_ Akeifa said.

I picked up the kitten and cradled it against my chest, confident that I'd cured it of its illness. As I brought it up to Kisara, I muttered into its fur, "Look, I don't think its best for other people to know about this. Who knows how Marik would take it?"

_Don't you trust him? He is your comrade. People should trust their comrades with their life,_ Akeifa shot back.

"I know, I know," I directed inwards.

_He told you his greatest secret,_ he said softly. _It would only be fair if you told him about us. You don't have to mention…what this Kaiba fellow thinks of us._

"Thank you, Bakura," Kisara smiled, gentle and soft and slightly sad, "And good job, by the way."

I grinned in return. Before I left to go grab my stuff (it was almost the end of class), she stopped me.

"I heard that Seto gave you a tough time when you came back," she whispered, "I want you to know that he's not all that bad. He's a very kind person, beneath all his gruff exterior."

"He must have a lot of layers of gruffness," I muttered sarcastically under my breath. She must have heard me because she giggled quietly.

"Yes, that's true. But there isn't a single person that I would want more to watch my back. He makes me feel like I don't have to be scared of myself," she sighed, staring off into space with a wistful expression, "I like that about him."

"If you say so," I waved good-bye and headed over to my stuff. Girls, they were all insane.

To think that Kisara and Kaiba could work like that. I could see it in her eyes, the utter respect and caring Kisara had for him. And now that I thought about it, Kaiba always seemed to be calmer when she was around.

I wasn't sure if it was what Duke and Serenity had. Maybe it was more than that. Kaiba and Kisara had to work together outside of any relationship they had. They might not even be together, in the traditional sense of a couple. They didn't seem to be the conventional 'let's hold hands and have dinner together' kind of people, anyways.

Whatever it was, it worked for them. Maybe this was what love looked like outside of the world of high school drama.

_You mean to say that they are not married?_ Akeifa interjected as I left of lunch.

"Nope," I muttered, hoping that no one would hear me. "No wedding bands on their fingers."

_They act like a married couple. They work well together. Like I used to with…_

There was a wave of utter pain, of regret that came after that. I heard Akeifa shut his door. I thought of that ring that Atem kept in her box of regrets.

Akeifa had wanted to marry her once.

I wondered if she'd said "No" or if something else happened. He'd muttered, after he'd seen that Atem still kept the ring as a keepsake, that he'd left her. And she'd mentioned fighting over something. Maybe their partnership splintered and never repaired.

I wondered who was more heartbroken: Atem or Akeifa.

* * *

_Sunday, January 29__th__, 2017_

"I can't remember the first time I heard them," I explained to Marik. He'd finally worn me down. I'd been trying to pry him away from the subject of what happened during that Enchantment lesson where I was thrown out of the class. "It was sort of like magic, how it just sneaks up on you and appears out of nowhere."

I took a deep breath, "There was always more than one – I just never knew how many. I found out recently that I've been reincarnated six times over. I don't know how," I told him before he could interject with his question, "I just know that it happening. Anyways, the voices are my pervious incarnations and they were Others, or whatever Others were called back then. Once ever two hundred years, I show up because of something I did in my past life."

"You…let them possess you?" He asked, not sure if I was telling the truth, "One of your incarnations took control of your body in Enchantment the other day."

"Yeah. His name's Game Master. He's not a very nice guy, but he's good at Enchantment."

"Game Master? What kind of name is that?" Marik asked.

"It's more of a title than a name," I told him, "His actual name is Bakura. It would just get confusing if I called out my own name and got six answers."

"I see your point," he hesitated, "You're really not making this up, are you?"

"Earlier this weak you told me that your father tied you down and carved a message into your back," I leaned backwards, pressing the back of my head against the bed post I was leaning against. "I'm not going to lie about this."

"It's just…this is incredible," he threw his hands into the air, "Wow, I'm mean – crap. Who else knows?"

"Moto and Kaiba. Maybe Kisara, I'm not sure. Pegasus has some sort of idea from reading my mind so many times. You." I paused, before adding, "Atem does, too. She used to know them when they were alive."

He lifted an eyebrow at that, as the phones began to ring out the names of the students who had to leave in order to PORT out.

"So there's a connection between the pair of you. I thought so."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Whenever Atem shows up in my dreams, she's doing something important. When she came here to teach you Necromancy, I started wondering why." I sighed, "No offense or anything, but you're not that great in the grand scheme of things. Or at least, I thought that back then."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, "Great to know that I'm not as awesome as you."

"Honestly, Bakura? The last thing you want to be is important in something magical," Marik looked shocked that I'd even suggest something like that, "When magic takes an interest in you, it can turn you into its own personal soldier. Look at what happened to Atem. Tell me that she's not influenced by magic and then you'll be an actual liar."

My name sounded from the speakers of our phones. Marik sighed, "I did not think that I'd be signing up for this when I agreed to be a mentor. Doesn't matter, though."

He smiled, "Magical soldier or not, I'm with you all the way. Someone's got to add some sanity to your life."

Then he did something that totally blew my mind. Marik held out his hand, like I'd done after my first two weeks, for me to shake. I could see the clenching of his jaw, but he stood steady.

"You sure?" I asked, not wanting to risk a…reaction from him.

"I'm sure."

I reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it once. Marik gripped my hand tight enough for me to hear my bones creak, but I made sure not to wince.

And then I left. I decided to take the stairs down. As I walked passed the crummy holographic Noah, it stuttered a goodbye before short circuiting and disappearing in a shower of sparks. I was walking into the alleyway by the time that the repair people had showed up.

My fingers pressed the memorized pattern across the touch-screen phone and activated the PORT.

Emerging from the blackness, I stepped out into the light.

Walking out and onto the sidewalk that led to my house, I took a moment to compose myself.

Amane probably wouldn't be too happy to see me. After a two week break from the Ward and (hopefully) getting her life back on track, that persistent fear of me would come back and I would go back to being the annoying, disgusting person who she hated with a passion. She'd forget that I'd even cared for her, spent the night with her when she was too scared to sleep alone, and that I'd ever been more than _that kid who lives in the other room_.

I'd rather go back to Atlantis than face that.

Slowly unlocking the front door, I slipped inside and up the stairs. I almost flopped down on my bed, when I realized that the sheets were pulled back and crumpled. That was weird because I always made my bed in the morning, unless I was in a complete hurry.

The window was open, letting the heat of the house out into the cold January air. I slammed it shut and then straightened my bed sheets out.

I looked around, checking to see if anything else was out of place. What had happened? Did someone rob us or something?

Then I found one of Amane's hair ties on my desk and one of her shirts underneath it. My hands shook. There had been no robber. My sister had been sleeping in my room in the weeks that I been gone.

What did that mean?

I heard the front door open. There were some girlish giggles downstairs. I quietly stepped into the hallway and looked over the banister into the room below.

Amane and Serenity were taking their shoes off and putting away their coats. Shopping bags littered the floor near their feet.

"So I was thinking," my sister started, "When he comes home that I could give it to him. He's always walking around in shirts that look like he got them in the Wal-Mart rejects section. He should at least have something nice to wear once and a while."

"You're a good sister," Serenity smiled and then glanced up to where I was standing. She gasped in shock at the sight of me. "Oh!"

Amane's head whipped up and looked me dead in the eye. Her jaw popped open. All I could think about was what Moto and Mai said. This was it. The Ward came into effect the moment she saw me and now – now that two weeks had passed, now that I was standing in front of her – Amane would reject me.

Or at least, I thought she would.

A smile spread across her lips as she bolted up the stairs, wrapping her arms around me the moment I was in reach. She buried her face in my shoulder, "You're home!"

For a moment, I didn't know how I was supposed to react. This wasn't supposed to happen, not according to the people at Atlantis, at least. Amane wasn't supposed to welcome me home. She was supposed to…supposed to…

You know what? Fuck it.

I hugged her back just as tightly, almost lifting her off the ground in the process. We shared the same idiotic grin, as we pulled apart.

"Yeah, I'm back."

* * *

**Hello once again, my friends!**

**I would like to thank the people who reviewed: Malik'sStalker, Coolaloo, Akikee, and Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachell. You are all amazing!**

**So we've found out a bit about Marik's back and, in turn, Bakura told him about the spirits. And then Bakura went home and was greeted enthusiastically by his sister. Oh, yes, and we get a little idea about why Game Master is so resentful of Atem.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you probably know by now how to get in contact with me.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	19. Yugi Mutuo

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 19: Yugi Mutuo**

_Sunday, January 29__th__, 2017_

Amane bought me a shirt. I was genuinely surprised.

It was red, but had an interesting graffiti design on the front in white. The sleeves were long, but could be rolled up if I got too warm. It was like nothing I owned before.

"How'd you know my size?" I asked her.

"I didn't," she responded. "I just told the guy at the counter that you're a toothpick and he told me what would fit."

"I'm not a toothpick," I mumbled.

Amane laughed, sitting cross-legged on my bed, "Try it on!"

I glanced over at Serenity. The younger girl stood just inside my room, looking around with wide eyes. I recalled the school rumours about torture equipment that supposedly hung on my walls. I raised an eyebrow at her, "Not what you expected, eh?"

"It's surprisingly…geeky," she commented, nodding to the bookshelf. "_The Martian Chronicles?_ I didn't think you'd be a fan."

"I'm shocked that you even know about Ray Bradbury." I reached for the hem of my shirt, but stopped and reconsidered. "You're boyfriend's not going to have a fit if I go topless in front of you, is he?"

Serenity blushed and left in a flurry of long auburn hair. I turned to Amane and was about to give her the same speech. But she leaned back on my bed, propping herself up with her elbows.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," she smirked.

"We were brats back then," I huffed. "We didn't know what privacy was."

"As I said: nothing I haven't seen," her eyes were black pits of fire.

I stuck my tongue out at her and yanked my shirt over my head. I lifted the new shirt off of the bed and turned around. Even if Amane wasn't planning on giving me some space, I would find a way.

Bad idea, as it turned out. She gasped behind me and stood up.

"Oh my god, Ryou! What happened?" She reached forward and touched the bruise that had spread across my side. I flinched.

"Stop that, it tickles," I moved away.

"It looks like it hurts really bad," she eyes were wide with concern.

"It's nothing. I just rolled out of bed and landed wrong," I lied. In truth, I'd gotten that fighting Mai on Thursday during Combat. She'd kicked me in the kidney and I hadn't gotten around to applying Medicine magic to the bruise yet. It was fading out of its original purple colour into a more subdued green-yellow.

I pulled the shirt on and did up the buttons (I couldn't remember the last time I wore a shirt with buttons on it). I spun to face my sister, "Well?"

She sighed, realizing I'd tell her nothing more about my bruise. She walked around me, scrutinizing me from every angle. When she finally stopped, I asked again, "Well?"

"You're passable," Amane looked a bit flustered.

I grinned, "You're lying, sister. Say it!"

Her jaw clenched and unclenched as a shiver ran through her body, "Sisters shouldn't think their brothers look hot, Ryou."

"You think I'm hot?" I'd found something to tease her with.

"You don't think that's weird?" She looked surprised.

"Amane, I think you're pretty," I snorted. "It doesn't mean that we're doing anything like _that_. Unlike what everyone else thinks."

She panicked, "What do you mean 'what everyone else thinks'?"

I shifted uncomfortably, "You heard what Tea said last month. People think that I've got a thing for you. I _don't_," I stressed. "It's just that I'm the creepy kid and people like to talk."

"Oh. _Oh!_" Amane laughed. "Of course that's what you meant! I knew that."

"Yeah," I looked at her strangely. Seriously, my sister could be really weird sometimes. "You going to keep your friend waiting up for you?"

"The question is: are you going to keep my friend waiting?" She smirked and I realized the horrifying truth: that I was expected to _model_.

"Amane! No way! No! Hey, let me go, damn it! Stop pulling, I don't want to! Amane, I said – WATCH THE STAIRS!"

Oh, the things I do for my sister and her entertainment.

* * *

_Friday, February 3__rd__, 2017_

I loved my parents, I really did. Even though they treated me like a non-entity and generally ignored my existence, I loved them. Even though they thought that I wasn't worth the gum off the soles of their shoes, I didn't care.

But there were moments in my life where that love and caring feeling inside me stretched a bit thin.

Mom was friends with everyone in the neighbourhood – really, there wasn't a single person she didn't know. So when she invited the whole freaking block to have a 'get together' at our house, I felt like slamming my head into a wall.

This wasn't the first time that this had happened. Mom did these once or twice a year. It was the curse of being the social butterfly of the neighbourhood. She just had to _talk_ with people like this.

It didn't help that Wheeler lived a short distance away from us. I sat on the couch, nursing a Diet Pepsi can and pretended that I didn't exist.

"Hey," a voice carried over my shoulder. I looked back and saw Devlin.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Didn't he live in a big mansion a few clicks away?

"Serenity invited me. You know, she's kind of my girlfriend," he smirked. "Actually, you would know. You're responsible for it, in a roundabout way."

"Great, you came over to congratulate me on my matchmaking skills. If you end up getting married, I want at least half of the money you get as wedding gifts as payment," I smirked when I saw him loose his too-cool-for-you expression.

"Married? We're a little young to be thinking – gah!"

"You've considered it, haven't you?" I asked, looking down at the can in my hand. "You're really lucky, Devlin. You have no idea."

"Oh shut up and cash in your V-card already," he scoffed. "At least make out with a girl. You'll feel better."

"I've kissed someone before," I spoke before I realized what I was saying.

"Really?" Devlin gapped.

"Yes…once," I didn't want to look at him. "Why the tone of surprise?"

"It's just you and kissing people don't usually add up in my mind," he said.

"Okay, I have no idea what more disturbing," I rolled my eyes. "The fact that you are clearly imagining me kissing people in your spare time or that we're actually having this conversation. Let's change the topic and pretend it never happened, okay."

"Let's," Devlin agreed, hopping over the back of the couch to sit down next to me. "I though you'd like an update on how your sister's been doing."

I'd completely forgotten that I'd asked the guy to do that for me. In between Amane's daily calls and all the stuff that had happened at Atlantis in the past few weeks, it had been blocked from my memory. I sighed, "Speak mortal, and you shall be heard."

Devlin spoke of a lot of things that I already knew of, like Amane joining that computer club and basically moving into my room. But then he mentioned a few other things that I didn't know. She had to buy a new laptop because the last one caught a really bad virus that killed it "deader than dead," in the words of the tech support guy at the store. She was using a KaibaCorp model now.

"And…uh…there's something else," Devlin glanced around to check for someone. "She's become completely obsessed with someone called Yugi Mutuo."

"Who's that, some kind of celebrity?" I asked.

"No," he clarified. "She's someone on the FBI's Most Wanted list. Some girl with really weird hair."

The bottom of my stomach seemed to drop. Mutuo, I realized, sounded a lot like Moto. And since Solomon Moto and Atem seemed to know each other, since Atem was on that list…

Amane was trying to still trying to find out what was going on at Atlantis and she was using Atem to do it.

"She's been bouncing some of the information that she's found off of me, you know, to get a second opinion and all that," Devlin continued, "Apparently this Mutuo girl has been accused of inciting rebellion in a bunch of countries. But here's the weird part: her crimes are dated to go back, like, three hundred years. I mean, there's one saying she led a riot against the French government during the Revolution. What the hell?"

_Heh heh, I remember that,_ Akeifa chuckled. _We snuck into a party at one of Robespierre's family members. It was the first mission we commanded together. When that snotty wife told her that her dress was out of fashion, the Princess responded that she hated dresses anyways and pulled out a gun. I knew in that moment that she was the woman for me._

I heard Game Master mumble, _Do not speak of her ever again. I do not want to hear of that wench. M'lady is a liar._

_She's not!_ Akeifa shouted.

"I think," Devlin's voice brought me back to reality, "that it's not the same girl. Amane's got this weird idea that it is and that somehow she's found a way to live forever, but that just can't be true. I think that Yugi Mutuo is a title that's been passed down and – what?"

I wouldn't have been surprised if he was commenting on how loudly my heart was beating, because it felt like it was going a mile a minute. My hands were clammy and my throat was tight. I laughed nervously, "You sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, Devlin. Next thing you'll be telling me is that aliens abducted you when you were a child."

"I guess it does sounds kind of stupid," he chuckled. "Anyways, I just thought you'd like to know."

"Yeah, thanks," Thanks man, for giving me a heart attack and telling me that my sister is looking into things that she shouldn't even know about.

Devlin stood up, but didn't move. He stared at me for while, making me more uncomfortable than I already was. He frowned, "What are you, Ryou Bakura?"

I gripped my pop can tightly. What was I? It would have been easy to say that I was an Other, that I was a being that could perform magic. But I was more than that. I was, according to Marik, some kind of magical soldier that forces beyond my control liked to toy with. I had my past incarnations running around in the back of my mind and to top it all off, I was a Necromancer. I wasn't ordinary, even by Other standards.

I grinned crookedly at him, "I'm not quite sure yet. I'll let you know when I find out, though. But in the meantime, don't call me Ryou."

* * *

_Tuesday, February 7__th__, 2017_

I didn't confront Amane about her obsession with finding out who Atem was because I didn't want her to know about the spy, Devlin, I'd planted into her life. But it was kind of freaky how I'd catch her watching me sometimes. There was an odd look in her eyes that would appear every so often. It made me very nervous.

And then there were moments like now, when Amane convinced me to watch television with her (it was some romantic sit-com) and she snuggled up against me that kind of freaked me out. I could understand the cuddling, I could understand the handholding, but when her hand started to sneak my shirt I felt like I couldn't breathe.

It was just a finger at first, but now her whole hand was pressed against my side. I couldn't move, couldn't think. If you'd asked me what the plot of the show was, I wouldn't have been able to tell you the title.

I forced myself to move my head and look down at my sister. Amane's eyes were bright with an emotion I didn't understand. I felt her hand disappear from my side. I relaxed a bit; maybe she'd gotten the message.

But then it returned, bolder than before as she placed in on my chest, right over my heart. I felt her weight shift beside me; the couch creaked as she lifted herself up to look me in the eye. Amane glanced downwards, just below my line of sight for a minute and I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my own heart and –

"Amane, sweetheart! Supper!"

She froze, seemed to come to her senses, and then moved backwards. I let out a sigh of relief. I'd never been so glad to smell food before.

Amane blushed bright red and sped off to the kitchen. I sat there, very still, for a long time. What had just happened? What had my sister been doing just then? Whatever it was, I didn't think that I liked it. It seemed weird – wrong, even.

I must have missed supper because Amane came out holding a plate of food. She shoved it in my direction with a muttered "Sorry."

I took the plate and stabbed at the vegetables with the fork. I chewed the chunk of broccoli slowly, before swallowing it and turning to her.

"Just…don't do that again," I tried to keep my hands from shaking. I didn't know what was making me so scared. I wasn't sure if I _wanted_ to know.

Amane seemed to deflate, looking away from me. I couldn't see her face, but she was shaking almost as badly as me.

"Don't…don't worry," her voiced hitched. "Don't worry about it."

She sat down on the floor, leaning against the bottom of the couch and pulling her knees into her chest. I sighed, sliding off the cushions and sitting down beside her.

"Don't beat yourself up about it." Whatever _it_ was.

She made an odd sound, leaning into my shoulder and hiding her face in my clothes. I wrapped an arm around her, making shushing noises and ignoring the food. I didn't like to see Amane sad. I wondered what was happening to us because I had a feeling that whatever this was, it was not normal. It wasn't supposed to be happening at all.

* * *

_Atem didn't usually wear her formal 'princess' clothes unless there was an official ceremony that she was forced to attend. She despised these kinds of events. I, on the other hand, honestly didn't mind them. That all changed today._

_This time, we were welcoming the three Ancients that were coming to visit the kingdom. Atem had told me who they were; the Ancients seemed like living gods to me._

_People lined up at the palace gates, eagerly waiting for the arrival of these beings. They were dressed in their best clothing – coloured cloth and faces painted. Priests murmured prayers beneath their breath. I stood beside Atem, moving the giant fan in my hands up and down. It was the only way I'd be able to stand with her at this event._

_A runner sped up the street towards the king. He knelt and recited his message, "The Ancient Ones have arrived, Your Majesty."_

_Atem gripped the arms on her throne beside her fathers, eyes wide with excitement. She glanced over at me, giving me a secret smile. I returned it and tried to calm my beating heart. I convinced myself that it was because I was about to be in the presence of gods. It had nothing to do with Atem and the sparkle in her eyes._

_Three figures appeared at the far end of the pathway. They were tall, far over six arm lengths in height. Their clothing was obviously foreign. Swishing fabrics and beaded patterns that I'd never seen before hung on their bodies. They looked as stiflingly warm as –_

_By the Gods…It was him._

_It was the man from the meeting. I was so shocked that I actually stopped moving the fan. I could see more of his face now, see passed the cloak that had once veiled his face in shadow. His blue hair was long and tied back from his face. A band of gold wrapped around his head._

_As they stepped forward, Atem muttered, "Bakura? What's wrong?"_

"_Him. The one in the centre," I whispered back. "He was at the meeting with the Children."_

_Her eyes became impossibly wide, knuckles turning white against the wood of her chair._

_The King rose from his seat, bowing low to the approaching Ancients. Atem quickly followed suit. Soon, the entire street had bowed their heads in respect and awe of these figures. I was convinced: these people must have been gods. King Acalan wouldn't have bowed to any other being._

"_Welcome," the King raised his head, "to Tikal, the Empire of the Mayans. I am King Acalan and this is my heir."_

_Atem stared, blatant awe reflecting in her face. She blushed as she spoke, "It is an honour to meet you."_

"_Quite," the blue haired man raked his golden eyes over her. I didn't like how he was looking at her, "I am Dartz, King of Mu. This is my father, Ironheart, and my wife, Iona."_

_I gripped the fan in my hand so hard that the wood creaked. I wanted to snap at him, _"You have a wife, so stop undressing Atem with your eyes!"

_He stepped forwards, bypassing the King entirely and lifted her hand to his lips. A growl escaped from my mouth. The collar around my neck cut off my voice._

_Dartz's eyes flickered towards me. He recognized me – there was no doubt about it. I shook in anger; I didn't know why, though._

"_I have heard much of you, Princess Atem," he continued on. "I hear that you killed a Death Touch. May I ask how?"_

"_I stabbed him, Your Majesty, in the lower back," she repeated the lie that she'd told anyone else who asked._

"_Oh?" He turned his head, examining her, "Do you still have the knife?"_

_She flinched, visibly. I took a step closer to her._

"_No, Your Majesty. I lost it on the return trip."_

_She didn't have it anymore. I did. It was hidden away in the space of the Realm that I used to store whatever possessions I owned. It was a thief's trick that I'd picked up on the streets. I taught Atem how to do that spell herself. It was one of the few things that I'd been able to show her, instead of the other way around._

"_Really? That's too bad," Dartz smiled, but there was something in his eyes that made me shiver. It told me that he knew; he knew the truth._

_Then he turned to the King, "It's been a very long trip and we would like to retire. If you please…"_

"_Ah! Of course!" The King jumped, motioning to a nearby slave. "If you have any belongings, this will carry them for you."_

"_How barbaric!" The woman – Iona – cried in outrage. Earth-coloured locks of hair, restrained by gold jewelry, framed her face. "You still have slaves in this place? Dartz, I told you this was –"_

"_Be silent, Iona. One must not harp about the cleaning while you are a guest in the house," the blue-haired man chastised his wife. "It is uncivilized."_

_Iona seemed to crumple, "Yes, my lord. I will obey."_

"_Good. Our rooms, please," Dartz addressed the King once more. "We have no belongings."_

"_This way. Daughter, come along," the King motioned for Atem to follow. She nodded to me, in turn, and I walked a step behind her._

_As we made our way to the guest chambers, King Acalan talked animatedly with the blue haired man. I wondered what would happen if he knew that Dartz had a special power like the other Children of Toltex. I wanted to see the man's face when he found out. I concentrated on following Atem, but felt a slight touch on my shoulder._

_I stared up at the third Ancient who had come to the palace to visit. He looked older than any person I'd ever seen before, hair whitened with age and face lined with wrinkles. There was a sad look in his eyes._

"_I'm sorry," he whispered his words only loud enough that I could hear them. "I'm so very sorry."_

_I wanted to ask what he meant, but I wasn't allowed to talk. Instead I stared at this old, old man as he tried to tell me something important. I just didn't know what._

_Afterwards, when Atem and I went back to her room, I tried to contain my anger._

"_He'd heard of me, Bakura! Isn't that amazing? He's an Ancient King and he'd remembered my name. He even knew what I looked like!" She wouldn't shut up about Dartz._

"_I don't see what's so special about him," I growled. "He was out of bounds. He kissed you, in front of his wife."_

"_It's fine," she giggled – actually giggled. Atem _never_ giggled. She flopped down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Rage boiled in my chest._

"_You didn't even do any of the things that he thinks you did," I spat, turning away. I wanted to…wanted to…I think I wanted to hit something, preferably Dartz's smug face._

_Atem sat up, "What? Are you jealous?"_

"_No!" I shouted. I felt my face redden, "Why would I be jealous? Of…of…"_

_Jealous? There was no way I was jealous of some Ancient king with blue hair. None at all._

"_I could understand if you were." Atem nearly sent me into a panic with those words. What was there to be jealous of? Dartz paying attention to her? Or her practical worship of…him…No, I was not going to let my mind go off in that direction. She continued, putting my mind at relative ease, "Not getting recognition for your deed. You saved my life that day."_

_I liked the look of gratitude on her face. It made me calm down a little, "It was no big deal. I did what I had to do."_

_Atem slid off the bed, approaching me. It was only when she was right in front of me did I react. "…What?"_

"_There are some days," she sighed, "when I wish that I wasn't a princess. That you weren't a slave or a common man."_

_I remembered the last time we'd been this close. It had been the day she was attacked by the Death Touch. She'd backed me into a tree with that odd look in her maroon eyes. That look had returned and it made my heart race inside my chest. I wet my lips, "Is today one of those days?"_

_Atem didn't answer, just smiled and wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. I could feel her warm skin brush against mine, feel her breath on my neck, feel her hair tickle my nose. I wondered where I should put my hands._

_Eventually I decided that anywhere on her back was safe. With one hand placed between her shoulder blades and the other around her waist, I pulled her closer to me. I became aware of every curve of her body as it pressed into mine._

"_Yes," she whispered, lips grazing over my skin as my internal organs did a backflip. "It's one of those days."_

_Heh, that as one thing that we had in common. It was one of those days for me as well._

_When Atem finally pulled away, I missed her warmth. I grated my teeth in frustration as my hands itched to pull her back towards me. I became suddenly aware of her bed, for some odd reason._

"_Now," she started. "What's this about him attending a Children of Toltex meeting?"_

_I was a little irritated on how quickly the conversation moved back to Dartz, but I told her what I'd seen on that night anyways. Maybe it would put her off of him and show her just what a scum bag he actually was._

_Maybe._

_I wondered why it mattered._

* * *

_Sunday, February 12__th__, 2017_

"Okay, I give up. Who the hell is she?"

Amane, who up until that moment, had been sitting calmly on my bed, while I tried (and failed) to catch up on my Domino homework, slammed her laptop shut and shouted at me.

I turned around, "Who is who?"

"Yugi Mutuo! Who is she really?" She stood up and stomped over to where I was sitting at my desk.

"Who?" I played dumb. She wasn't having any of it.

"Don't even try! I know that you know who I'm talking about." She stood before me, hands on her hips, "That girl. Stay away from her, she's dangerous."

"Atem is _not_ dangerous," I snapped back at her. I wished that Amane would just drop this. "She would never do anything to hurt anyone."

"That's not even her name! She's lying to you!"

"Atem is her name, trust me." I said, "Why does it matter who I know anyways?"

"It matters when there's something that's obviously wrong with them, Ryou," she grabbed me by the arm. 'Here, let me show you."

She dragged me out of my room and into hers, before running back to grab her laptop. It had changed since the last time I'd been in there. Back then, there had been a distinct feeling that the room had been lived in. Now, the walls that had formerly been covered in posters hosted pictures and pages of text. A file of paper was spread out on her bed.

"Look," Amane returned, somehow managing to log into a website and type while running. "Look! I'm not the only one. There are loads of sites like this. Loads of people who know."

She cleared a space to sit on the bed and showed me the site she'd pulled up, "See!"

It was called 'Who Is Yugi Mutuo?' and apparently it was the first thing that popped up when you typed in Atem's alias on Google. The people running the site were under the impression that Atem was just a code name or something (because everyone had a last name, right?). There were, like, a hundred essays on the site about why she chose the name.

And then there were the photographs. Amane had printed most of them out and tacked them to her walls. There were black marker arrows connecting the photos to each other.

"There's a link to the FBI's Most Wanted List, but it basically tells you everything that you need to know here," Amane continued onwards as I stared blankly at the photos. "Wanted for inciting rebellion, murder, kidnapping, and a whole bunch of other things. But most of them don't even occur in this century, so at first I thought it was a joke or a type-o or something. But then I got thinking about what you said, that this Yugi Mutuo was older than she looked. And then I really started looking around…"

She clicked on a few links, "So I found this one thread on a forum and they have a bunch of pictures – the ones I printed out. Pictures of Yugi Mutuo in Australia in the late 1800s, on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, in the crowd during JFK's assassination. And they aren't faked; I can tell a faked picture from a real one. Besides, there are references to her everywhere in history, if you know where to look. And now the government is looking for her. They've been at it since, like, 2001."

I couldn't believe this. I moved to look at the Most Wanted List again. Atem had been charged with at least 20 counts of murder, most of them happening in the 1940s…in Germany? Kidnapping officials of the French government in the 1790s? Escaping from police custody in Brazil? What? What was this? Why was the government trying to find her? This wasn't possible. Atem…she wouldn't do this. She was – she was a _good_ person. Wasn't she?

"So?" Amane looked at me, wide-eyed and attentive. "So?"

"So what?" I croaked. "What does it matter?"

Oh god, did Atem know about this? Kaiba, I bet he knew. He had Noah to go through a whole bunch of Internet websites. But would he tell Atem? She wasn't exactly the most tech-savvy person on the face of the Earth. Would she even understand what the Internet was?

"What does it matter? What does it _matter_?" Amane repeated my words back at me, "It matters because you're being taught by a crazy lady who's going to kill you, Ryou!"

I looked over the walls - over the pictures and the text – looking at the path that Atem had taken over history. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath, and came to my decision.

"Amane," I didn't recognize my own voice. It was something foreign, something I'd never heard in my own words before, "Drop this. Now."

She was so shocked, jerking her head back in surprise. She stuttered, "W-what?"

"Drop this. Leave Atem alone or I will make you," I didn't look away from her, instead staring straight at her. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Why? Why are you – why are you doing this? Don't you trust me? I thought…I thought you'd be impressed, that I found all this," she cried out loud. "Why won't you tell me? I don't understand!"

"I told you, Amane: I can't tell you –"

"Don't give me that shit!" She screamed, leaping to feet, "You can tell me! You can tell me anything! But you don't. You don't trust me at all. Why not?"

She pushed me backwards, shouting incoherently. She tried to shove me again, but I grabbed her hands, "Amane, stop it."

"No! No! I will not stop. I won't," she yanked her hands from me. "I'll tell you why you won't. Its because of her." She pointed towards the pictures of Atem, "I heard you. Speaking in your sleep. You dream about her."

My jaw actually dropped and I couldn't feel my toes. I imaged that blood was rushing to my cheeks, "I don't dream about Atem!"

Amane called me on my bluff, "Liar! You do! You've got a freaking crush on Yugi Mutuo, don't you?"

"What? No, no way. No fucking way do I have a – a…" I couldn't say the word, because I kept thinking about the night that I kissed Atem. "I don't, not at all. Why would I?"

"Oh please," she laughed sarcastically. "I've seen her. What, are you interested in older women? Dangerous women? What's wrong with –"

She cut herself off, jaws clamping shut before she could complete her sentence. There was a stiff silence between us where nothing was said. And then my phone alarm went off.

"Don't you dare," she threatened.

"I've got to go," I said, slowly backing away and out of the room. Amane stalked forwards.

"No. No, you can't."

I bolted, bounding down the stairs and out the front door as my sister chased after me. I shoved Combat magic into my legs, exploding down the walkway and leaving Amane behind in the dust. I hurried all the way to the little back alley, activating the PORT on the fly. Familiar blackness surrounded me and –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

I rushed out of the blackness and into the front doors of the KaibaCorp building. I ignored the lift, instead taking the stairs four floors up to my room. I ran down the hallway, yanking the door open and closing it quickly behind me.

I jumped onto my bed, burying my face in the familiar pillow and sheets. I screamed, pounding at the bed frame because – god fucking damn it – I'd messed up. Amane hated me again. She hated me because I couldn't tell her about what I was. But I couldn't tell her about Others, about magic. She'd never believe me. She'd never understand.

I didn't want her to know about this world full of people who were abandoned, alienated, and bullied. I didn't wanted her to know that my roommate's father took a knife to his back and carved in a pattern because he was scared and crazed. I didn't know what to do.

There was a knock at the door, but the person on the other side didn't wait for me to answer it before she walked in. I could hear the creaking of the floor as she moved closer.

"I saw you run in," Mai beside me on the bed. "Oh, hun. What happened?"

"I hate the Ward," I told her. "I hate that it makes Normals hate us. I hate that I can't tell anyone what's wrong with me because magic isn't supposed to exist in the shitty world."

I heard her sigh, "When I was upset, my mother – my actual mother, not my evil step mother – would always make me some tea to help calm me down. She could withstand the Ward, so I think I was one of the lucky ones. How about I make you some?"

Tea? Honestly, I'd never had tea before. Shocking, right? I'm British; doesn't that mean that I should be drinking the stuff like its going out of style? But really, I'd never had the chance. Maybe it would help.

I nodded, lifting myself up and followed her into her room. Mana was there, swaying slightly to the beat of a song I didn't recognize. She smiled upon seeing me, grabbing me by the hands and spinning me around a few times. She let me go when Mai approached me with a steaming cup of tea.

And then we just talked. I told them about Amane, about why she was so angry with me right now. I talked to them about my concerns about Atem (Mai and Mana shared a look when I started talking about her). And then they started to speak.

Mai spoke of her stepmother, who'd only married her aging father for the family money. She'd drained them off all their funds and, after her father's death, had left Mai penniless. Mai told me about her decision to drop out of school so that she could get a job and feed herself.

Mana told me about her childhood. She didn't remember her parents, but she suspected that they were illegal immigrants from Mexico – her uncle never told her because she had been too young to understand. After his death, she'd been in more Florida foster homes than you could shake a stick at.

I realized that this was the sad reality of the world of Others. In the end, we only really had each other. Only an Other could truly understand another Other.

I really, really hated the Ward for that. We could be so much better than three kids sitting on a bed, sipping tea and telling real-life horror stories. Any yet, here we where.

Being an Other just sucks sometimes.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachelle, vampiregirl 31, Malik'sStalker, Coolaloo, and Akikee. Thank you for your continued awesomeness.**

**I'd also like to thank SRRH and Coolaloo for their forum posts, as well as InsantityByDefinition and (once again) Coolaloo, who posted reviews on The Others: The Lucky Ones, my Rex and Weevil tribute.**

**I loved writing this chapter, even though it is a little short. I loved Amane's part in the last section. She's so emotional and its fun to write her flying off the handle. We also get a little insight into Mai's background. She's one of the few people who's (biological) parents were able to withstand the Ward. Too bad her father remarried to a gold digger, or she might have had an alright childhood. She worked her ass off to be able to feed herself and while it does look like she owns designer clothing, they are actually bought from Value Village-like places. You will be surprised what you can find in there.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	20. Just Hormones

**The Others: The First Year**

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

_To Eric and Ethan  
Screw gravity_

* * *

**Chapter 20: Just Hormones**

_Monday, February 13th, 2017_

Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. I usually didn't think much about the holiday, but again, just like I had at Christmas, it was all I could think about.

It had always just seemed like a Hallmark-inspired date, surrounded by chocolate and cards and flowers - the mushy stuff that girls go for. I knew for a fact that Marik was planning on asking Mana out; he just had to work up the courage first. The main thing with him was that he really wanted to hold her hand at some point during their outing. He was practicing on me.

"It would probably help if you didn't crush her hand like you're doing mine," I winced. "I can't feel my fingers."

"Oh...crap, sorry," he adjusted his grip. "Better?"

"Somewhat," I tried to keep the look of ow-ow-that-still-hurts-moron off of my face.

"She's gonna hate me!" Marik let go, breathing deeply and slamming his head into the desk. "I hate this!"

"It's Mana. I don't think she's capable of hating anything," I rolled my eyes. He was so overreacting. I glanced at the clock, "Look, I've got to go: Necromancy lessons and all. Why don't you just go over to Mana's room and ask? Problem solved."

"Go? You'll be an hour early," he frowned.

"I need to tell the about my sister," I explained, referring to the conversation I had had with him where I informed Marik of just what Amane had found on the Internet. I was going to see if I could find Kaiba and tell him as well. Even if he already knew, I thought it would be best if he knew that Amane was investigating Atem.

Marik nodded, dismissing me with a wave of his hand like he was the freaking king. I rolled my eyes at him and left.

I didn't know exactly where to find Kaiba at this time in the evening, so I thought that my best guess was to go up to the hundredth floor and start knocking on doors. Maybe one of the teachers would be able to point me in the right direction. The elevator ride seemed extra long as the red numbers above the door slowly counted up to one hundred.

The doors to the lifts opened with a ding that I'd gotten used to over the months at Atlantis, revealing a corridor that, too, was very familiar. The first door on the left was Ishizu's.

I rapped my knuckles on the door thrice, but there was no answer. I tried a little farther down on Shadi's door, but still there was nothing.

I frowned slightly. Where was everyone?

There was a scream, loud and ear-blistering, making me shut my eyes and grab at the side of my head in pain. Then there was a loud thump, some swearing, and another yell. It came from the far end of the corridor.

Atem's room was down there.

Something seized in my chest and made me race down the corridor to her door. Just before I yanked it open, Ishizu appeared from the other side, eyes glowing a steady blue. Mahad followed closely behind her.

Wordlessly, they pulled me away from the open doorway, but not before I saw what was inside. Kaiba had Atem pinned to her bed as she screamed and Kisara leaned over her with glowing hands -

"No!". I yelled, struggling against my teachers. "No! Let her go! You're hurting her! Atem! Atem!"

"Bakura, stop. Now," Mahad growled, low and frightening. Had I been in a more right state of mind, I probably would have listened to him.

But I wasn't, so I didn't, "Let me go, damn it! Atem! Atem!"

Ishizu's hand was clasped over my mouth as the pair of them dragged me away. I fought them tooth and nail every step. Finally, they shoved me through another doorway and into a chair. Immediately, I tried to stand back up and run back to where Atem was screaming, but I thought-smelled wet earth and the arms of the chair wrapped around my arms.

"What in the world made you come up here, Bakura?" Mahad questioned me, "You were going to be informed later that Atem was ill. You weren't due for another hour."

I snapped at him with my teeth and kicked wildly against the legs of my chair. It was the only thing that I could think of that might help me to escape.

"What were you doing to her?" I yelled at him.

"I'm sure that you've been informed of Atem's lack of health," Ishizu sighed. "Her sicknesses take on many facets. What you saw just now was one of them."

I heard another scream and a wave of terror passed over me. I thrashed in my bonds, "You're hurting her!"

"No, what Kisara was doing was making it so that she can sleep through the worst of it," Ishizu's eyes filled with blue once more as she looked into Atem's room from afar. "We are doing this as per she instructions. She requested that we do this for her when she got like this."

My eyes widened as I directed my next question inwards, "Has this happened to her before?"

As my teachers shook there heads and told me that I was too fucking young to get involved, the spirits were a little more enlightening. But only a little.

_I remember,_ Thief King started. _She'd get like that occasionally. It was horrible. She used to keep screaming all night long and I had no idea what to do to make her better._

_I knew,_ said Touzoku softly, reminiscing old times long gone. _I knew what caused it. I could recognize the signs, but it was the one sickness that I could not cure."_

I prodded him mentally, looking for details, but Touzoku didn't give me much.

_I couldn't cure it because it was not an actual disease,_ he supplied.

_My Queen is hurting?_ Dark God questioned. _Hurting as madness descends on her? I do not like this. No-no-no, this is not how she is to be. My Queen! You're son - ever loyal, ever yours - he will help. I want to help her because she is mine!_

I had to consciously fight Dark God back into my mind. I didn't think that it would be a good idea if these two knew about the spirits in my mind. I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

"You can let me go now. I won't run off."

"First tell us why you were up here in the first place," Mahad answered.

I grit my teeth together. I was going to tip them off, willingly, about my sister and her snooping and here I was, being questioned like this was the freaking Spanish Inquisition. I was almost tempted not to tell them anything.

Almost.

"My sister," I growled, pulling at the wooden bindings on my chair. "She found a site about Atem on the internet. It's called 'Who Is Yugi Mutuo?'"

"We are aware that she has several 'fansites', though I use that word lightly," Mahad scoffed.

"What I mean is that my sister is really investigating her," I shouted at them. "She thinks that Atem - or Yugi Mutuo, as she calls her - is immortal and she's kind of right. It's obsessive the way that she's looking Atem up."

"There was no need to tell us information that we already know," Ishizu put her hands on her hips, speaking to me like I was a child that she was disciplining. "Unless there is anything of merit that you want to tell us, I suggest that you go back to your room and forget everything that you just saw."

"But this is important!"

"Hey, hey, hey," a voice sounded from the ceiling and for the first time, it realized that I must have been taken to Mahad's room, judging by the boyish styled furniture and lack of girly wallpaper. Noah appeared in the flash of a hologram in the center of the floor, "What Bakura is spouting might actually be pretty important."

"What do you mean, Noah?" Mahad asked.

"Well, remember last month, when I informed you guys that we were hacked?"

I remembered that day. It was kind of hard to forget, even after Kaiba threatened me with my life. I nodded with the two teachers.

Noah continued on explaining, "Well, the hacker was really good and was able to cover all his bases and stuff. Except..."

"Except?" Ishizu prompted the program to speak.

"Except I'm better, of course," he said proudly. "I was able to track the guy down to a general location and guess where the hacker lives. In Domino City, where Bakura just happens to live.

"I wasn't able to get a positive lock on the guy's - or rather, girl's exact location, but seeing as little Amane Bakura's Internet handle has a bit of a reputation -"

"Wait! What?" I shouted, "Amane's got a..a...no way. You've got to be mistaken."

"I'm afraid not, Necro-man. Amane Bakura aka gh05twr1tt3r has some pretty serious enemies looking for her. She's hacked into the FBI's information database more times than I care to count. They do not like her down at their headquarters," Noah laughed out loud. "I wonder what they'd do if they discovered that a teenaged girl was the one that cracked their systems. They'd be so embarrassed."

"How did you even figure that out anyways?" My jaw dropped at the information that he'd presented to me. My sister was a hacker? No, I wasn't going to believe this until I saw some proof.

"They've got some leads, like they know that gh05twr1tt3r lives in New York State, but other than that, the FBI's got nothing. I, on the other hand," Noah spoke of himself in a glorified tone, "am a marvel of technological knowledge and have been hacking since the date of my creation, so I know a bit more. You're sister's good, no doubt about it. In fact, I was almost unable to launch the virus program before she exited KaibaCorp's systems."

Something clicked, "Virus? Amane had to get a new computer because..."

"She got a virus. Sixteen of them in fact. Once I figured out that our mysterious hacker was located in Domino City, I cross-referenced the FBI's list of suspects on the gh05twr1tt3r case - and yes, your sister has her own case file - with the list of people who bought new computers shortly after the hack in Domino City. Her name came up," the program looked gleeful. I wanted to collapse.

How the hell did my sister know how to hack? She usually never did anything even remotely geeky and being a closet computer nerd was as geeky as you could get. I wanted to put my head in my hands, but the restrains wouldn't let me.

"Should we be doing anything about this?" Ishizu asked, "Mind wipe, perhaps?"

"I've talked it over with Seto, but he said that when he mentioned it to Atem, she said that nothing could be done. Weird really," Noah pondered. "Take it up with the boss-man, he seems to know what's going on. Something about her being a -"

"That's enough, Noah," Kaiba walked into the room, Kisara trailing behind him like a ghost. "Ishizu, Mahad, leave. I need to have a talk with Bakura."

The two of them nodded, exiting the room as Noah fizzled out of his holographic existence.

Kisara waved her hands and I thought-smelled earth once more as the chair reverted back to its original state. I rubbed at my wrists and Kaiba started to talk.

"I suggest that you don't tell anyone about what you saw tonight," he glared. "No good will come of it. I cannot tell you what happened, but mother will probably tell you eventually. As much as I hate it, you will get involved sooner or later."

"Has this..." I hesitated for a moment, "Has this happened to her before?"

"This is one of the many problems that she must deal with on a regular basis," he explained, before sighing. "It is not the first time I've seen her get like this and I doubt it will be the last."

I looked at him, searching for answers in his piercing blue eyes. I found none, so I ventured out again, "Touzoku said that Atem's symptoms weren't because of a disease. That they weren't the result of having her immune system weakened by the Death Touch she met when she was young."

Kaiba flinched, "So you trust Touzoku? That - that man cannot be trusted. Do you know what he used to do to the people who pissed him off? He used to mess with their nervous system until all that his victims could feel was pain. They used to claw their own skin off in order to make it stop."

"He's me, Kaiba," I threw back at him. "If I can't trust myself, who can I trust?"

He looked like he wanted to hit me, but Kisara restrained him, "Seto, it was from Touzoku's teachings that Atem learned the magic that helped me. The man wasn't good, but he wasn't necessarily evil either. He was a Medic, after all. His first priority was to make people better."

"Healer," I corrected her as Touzoku muttered the word from the back of my mind. "He was a Healer. That's what they called Medics back in the day."

She smiled her sad smile, "Of course. That is what I meant." She stared at my eyes, but wasn't looking at me. "I am sorry if I offended you."

Touzoku shifted uncomfortably in the blackness, _It is fine._

I relayed the message.

Kisara giggled. Kaiba squirmed.

"Don't...don't mention them again," he snapped. "They shouldn't be here in the first place. Other's dissolve after death, so why did they come back?"

"I've got no idea and neither do they," I said. "Just a whole lot of black and then they woke up here."

Kaiba glared at me, "Go back to your room. Atem is in no fit state to teach you anything today."

"Could I just..." I bit my lip, "Would it be possible for me to just check in on her? Or visit? Just to see if she's getting better."

Kaiba looked ready to refuse when Kisara started chuckling. He looked at her strangely, but the look he gave me was even weirder when she nodded her head towards me. I wondered what that was about.

"You mean to say that he-" Kisara cut him off.

"Well, of course, Seto. It's quite obvious, even though Bakura here hasn't figured it out himself."

"Figure what out?" I asked, but was ignored. Kaiba seemed to be staring at me like I'd grown three extra heads and started dancing the polka.

He nodded, though, very slowly and I made my way out of the room. Kisara was still smiling and giggling. I was further convinced of the insanity of the female species.

Atem laid on her bed, breathing softly, hair spread out over her pillow. I dragged the chair over from her desk and sat beside her. I leaned forward and rest my arms on the mattress.

"What's wrong with you?" I whispered to her, understanding full well that Atem probably couldn't hear me. "Would you ever tell me? Would I even be able to fix it?"

I reached forward and touched her cheek. She flinched, face scrunching up, but made no other sign of waking. "Would you let me help you?" I asked her silent form, "What is it about you that makes me..."

I stopped talking, unable to find the words to describe what I was feeling just then. My mouth felt very dry and my palms began to sweat. There was a tightness in my chest that I didn't dare try and explain.

My hands trailed down into her hair and I discovered that it was soft like I'd imagined. I coiled a single lock around a finger, marveling at how the black turned into crimson red at the end.

Atem turned her head away, moaning as if she was having a bad dream. I wanted to wake her up, but something told me that that was a very bad idea. I sighed and stood, "Get well soon, alright. If you don't I'll..."

I paused again, not quite sure what to say just then. I bobbed my head up and down as I swallowed nervously and walked out of the room, down the hall and into the lift.

I leaned my forehead against the wall as the doors closed.

"Get better, Atem, or I don't know what I'll do."

* * *

_Tuesday, February 14th, 2017_

I couldn't believe that I actually did it. It seemed far too much like the pink-fluffy-heart-shaped-gook that girls at Domino High used to go crazy over. And yet, here I was.

I bought Atem a card. A freaking card. It was more of a Get Well Soon than a Valentine's Day one, but it was still a card. One that I would give to her on the day considered the most romantic of the whole fucking year.

I used the last of my money to get it. I was completely broke now.

I stood in front for her door for a good five minutes before I plucked up the courage to knock. Glanced around nervously to see if there was anyone who could possibly see me. There was no one around, but I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

There wasn't an answer, but I could hear from outside that the shower was running. Atem must have been...must have...gah! This was not the time to become a freaking hormonal teenaged boy! I beat down the images my mind was supplying me of Atem wet and naked under the showerhead and I let myself in.

It was just as messy as I remembered. The bed sheets were still unmade, the clothing was still polled in a corner, and her desk was still overflowing with pieces of paper and maps. I thought that if I just left the card here, she might never find it.

I panicked when I heard the shower turn off behind me. I listened, unable to move, to the sound of Atem singing a tune I didn't recognize at the top of her bloody lungs in a language I didn't understand. Then the door swung open and -

"Eep!"

"Shit! Sorry!"

I was very, very thankful that she was wearing a towel when she came out. Very thankful. I spun around to give her some privacy.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry," I breathed out, eyes still impossibly wide.

"What are you doing here?" I couldn't tell if Atem was angry with me or just shocked to hell like I was.

"I just wanted to check up on you," I told her. "And to give you this."

I waved the card in her general direction without looking at her. I felt the air shift and it was pulled from my hand by magic. I heard the tearing of paper and a stifled gasp of surprise when she saw what was inside.

"You...you didn't have to do this..." she mumbled. "You don't have to keep buying things for me. I am content with what I own."

I could see the book I gave her at Christmas lying open on her pillow. She was about halfway through it.

"I'm just worried about you. I..." I forced myself to say the next few words, "I really care about you."

The was a heavy silence, and then, "Stay with your back towards me while I change."

My body went ridged when I heard her towel drop to the floor. I shut my eyes tight, even though I didn't need to because, the way I was standing, I wouldn't have seen anything. But holy fucking shit, Atem was naked behind me.

I wondered how the hell she felt even remotely comfortable changing in the same room as me. I mean, I knew that she when she was younger, she didn't wear that much in the way of clothing, so maybe she was more open to the idea of less clothes. But this was the freaking 21st century! You couldn't just walk around like that! You could get arrested for public indecency or something.

And then I did something very strange, even by my standards. My eyes opened as my head slowly turned to look at Atem.

Aside from Amane (and she was my sister and five years old at the time, so she didn't count), I'd never seen a naked woman before. Atem wasn't completely naked, but it kind of counted for something. She was wearing track pants, but nothing on top.

Atem had scars. I guessed that it wasn't unreasonable to expect that because I knew she was a fighter. Most of them were faded slashes, but there were a few that were fresher than the others. One of them hooked around her right shoulder, like someone had tried to take her arm off. Another was a puncture wound that seemed to originate somewhere on her front.

Then her body shifted a little as she bent down to pick up an undershirt and I could clearly see the curve of her breasts. Heat spread across my face and pooled in my lower stomach. I turned away and looked down.

...oh hell...

She'd kill me. She'd really kill me. How the fuck was I supposed to explain the fact that I was now sporting a freaking erection in her presence? I wished that someone would hand me a shovel so that I could just dig my own grave and get it over with.

A hand touched my shoulder, "You can turn around now. I am clothed."

I could hear a doomsday death march playing in the background as I slowly moved to look at her.

There were clothes. Yay.

I decided to break the awkward silence that had fallen between us in an attempt to keep Atem's gaze above my neck, "Are you feeling any better than yesterday?"

"You saw that, did you? Yes, I am better. These things come and go with me," she explained.

"Is there anything that can be done about it or is it one of those things that can't be fixed because you've already tried to heal it?" I asked.

"There is something that can be done," she remarked. "I am working on it, but it is very difficult."

"Oh," I sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She frowned, staring at me like she was examining me, "You are a very selfless person, do you know that? I think that's what makes you such a good Necromancer."

"What?"

"Your first reaction upon hearing that there is a possible cure for my problem is that you want to help me," Atem said. "As a Necromancer, you are helping people at a time when no one else can. It is a gift that you seem to possess. You are lucky; there are not many selfless people out there these days."

Then she stepped forward, cupping my cheek gently with her hand, looking at me with eyes that made me feel like I'd stepped into a furnace. I could have sworn that I stopped breathing.

"You help me just by being here, Bakura. You have no idea how much, but you do." Atem pulled me down slightly and pressed her lips dangerously close to my mouth.

She was evil and crazy and really, really sexy right now with her eyes like bloody flames. This woman knew how to drive me up the freaking wall. I was going to die a virgin because there was no way that she could ignore the tent in my pants now.

And yet Atem seemed to remain oblivious. How, I had no idea, but I wasn't dead yet so I tried to look on the positive.

I could still feel the touch of her kiss and the warmth of her hand long after she'd moved away and told me that I should be getting ready to go to Medicine class. I wanted to...to...

I wanted to snog her, actually. Like properly make out with Atem, tongue and spit included. Which was kind of weird considering that the last time I'd kissed someone - her - the tongue and the spit make it seem a bit anti-climactic.

I almost did lean down and capture her lips with mine, but I heard a knock on the door of the adjoining room that was quickly followed up by a shout of something I didn't catch. Atem turned towards the sound, "I'll be there in a moment, Mokuba."

Mokuba? Mokuba Kaiba? Seto Kaiba's famous little brother was on the other side of that door? Mokuba Kaiba was one of the brightest people on the face of the earth. He was fresh out of college and already making waves in the political realm of the United States of America. There was talk as to whether or not that kid would be running for President one day.

There was a muffled grunt from the other side and Atem shoved me towards the exit. Just before she closed the door, she gave my that look again, "Oh and Bakura? If I even catch you peeking on me again, I'll remove the very thing that makes you a man. Alright?"

She flashed me a bright and shiny grin that made me think of nicer, more innocent topics than cutting off my dick. That was one way to kill a boner: the fear of imminent death.

And then she slammed the door in my face.

I must have lost my freaking mind, I thought as I walked back towards the lift. What in the world possessed me to watch Atem - my teacher, for crying out loud - strip down to nothing? I'd gotten aroused by it, too.

It was just hormones, I concluded. Just hormones. I was a straight guy and she was a half naked female. I was seventeen and a slightly perverted teenager who liked boobs and they were kind of there within my line of vision.

It wasn't because they were Atem's. No, not at all. And, come to think of it, they were kind of small. Thought they would probably fit perfectly in the palm of my -

I slammed my head into the side of the lift. The fuck was wrong with me today? I wasn't usually this hung-up on sex stuff. I mean, just because I'd seen...that...didn't mean that my mind was going to permanently descend into the gutter. Did it?

Okay, I'd admit it. Atem was hot, especially when she had that look on her face. The one that screamed 'I am sooooo out of your league but I'm just going to mess with your mind anyways so that you think that you might have a chance with me.' She was strong and smart and really kind of amazing.

But that didn't mean that there was anything between us. At all. Really.

I sat down hard on my bed the moment I walked in, pulling at my hair and wishing that I could forget (remember forever) the previous few moments. The idea of anything ever happening was just absurd. Atem was my teacher, semi-immortal, cursed, and twelve thousand fucking years old. It was just hormones. Just hormones.

"Happy god damn Valentine's Day," I whispered to myself, grabbing my bag and swinging it over my shoulders. I headed out to Medicine in hopes that the few hours would take my mind off of things and make this day seem sort of ordinary.

It didn't work, because I was totally unable to look in the general direction of Atem at lunch and I was still the same way at dinner, too.

* * *

Mokuba Kaiba is an interesting person. He inherited all the sneaky, trickster genes that must have skipped over his older brother. He's the kind of guy that is willing to walk a bit off the beaten path if it meant that he would end up getting his way.

He's a bit of a dark horse, that one.

Not in the sense that he's evil. No, Mokuba Kaiba would never stray onto that road. Instead, he's the insider: the spy, if you will. Planted in the White House so that the Resistance could have a pair of eyes and ears on the going ons of the other side. Mokuba, unlike his brother, isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

Mokuba's a Normal. There isn't a drop of magic in his entire system. However, that it's to say that he's not powerful. Quite the opposite in fact. He's got this way of talking to people that would make even the most untrusting person on the face of the earth believe in him. His manipulative powers that put some of Game Master's Enchantment abilities to shame.

Game Master would like to say that he saw what I just wrote and is planning to give me a massive headache for the next few days because of it. That guy really doesn't like to admit it when he's wrong or beaten.

Anyways, because of his lack of magical talent, most people on the other side never took him seriously until it was too late. They despised Normals and only really saw them as tools. They never realized that telling Normals about us wouldn't be such a bad thing and that they may actually want to help us. Mokuba is one of those people. Namu Ishtar and Vivian Wong are a lot like him in that aspect. You'll meet them later.

Normals with the power to withstand the Ward were probably our most valuable allies back then. People like Duke Devlin and Serenity Wheeler were welcomed by the Resistance with open arms because of what they represented: a day when Others wouldn't have to be afraid of being hated.

A day when the Ward would no longer exist and that we would no longer be feared for something that we could not control.

* * *

_Friday, February 17th, 2017_

There was a way to die of embarrassment and I had just found it.

Atem had been given the green light to start teaching again by Kisara and Ishizu. Apparently, her mystery 'illness' sapped her of her magical abilities and left her with only the ability to do the simplest of spells. But now that she was fit for duty, I could go back to my Necromancy lessons with her.

And that meant that I had to face her again. I was so freaking dead.

We travelled to the new graveyard in silence. I made the occasional glance her way on the trip over, but never stayed that way for any longer than I had to. Atem shirt wasn't very low cut - in fact, I could barely see her collar bones - but all I could think of was what was underneath.

My hands were clammy and I wiped then on my jacket as we walked towards our destination. I looked over at her once more, only to see that she was looking right back at me. I blushed and turned away.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Nothing at all."

She hummed, but looked disbelieving. I glanced around and came up with something to say, "How in the blazes aren't you freezing?"

I knew that I'd asked it before, but it was a fair question with her walking around bare foot and in a t-shirt. The weather wasn't exactly winter-like, but it wasn't warm either. It was a bone chilling and damp sort of cold, but there was no snow on the ground this far south. But there were still whiteout conditions up in Domino, so I wondered.

"I use a spell to heat up my body," she explained. "One of the more important spells that I've learned over the years. It has saved my life many a time."

"Saved your life?" I managed to hold her gave for more than a few seconds before I turned away. "Why? What happened?"

"In the years following...well, me becoming the way I am..." Atem was the one this time who was unable to look at me; "I travelled north for the first time in my entire life. Snow was something I'd never seen before. It was so...beautiful. And cold as well, of course.

"It was a Cree tribesman that taught me it. He was a nice elderly man who took me in after I stumbled into his hut looking for food. He was such a sweet man. It pained me to see him die."

"What was his name?"

She smiled sweetly at the memory, "Amneal. He was very old and very kind. I miss him."

It was then that I realized why magic had chosen this curse above all the other options, why magic had chosen to take away her death. By trying to give life to someone who was already dead, she'd been cursed to see everyone that she ever knew - ever will know - die. What a terrible way to live.

"I remember some names, some faces. But most escape me these days," Atem's eyes looked a little watery. "I can remember some, like Amneal or Aladdin or Napoleon. It's just that I forget so many more."

My throat seemed to tighten at her words. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, but her voice was still shaky when she started speaking again.

"I was thinking that...oh..."

She looked down to where I'd taken hold of her hand. I squeezed it gently, letting her know that I was still here. I didn't know how, but I was the only one who she could continue to see over and over again throughout her travels around the world and across time. I was her rock, the anchor that remained the same all twelve thousand years of her existence.

I couldn't promise her that I'd be there for her forever, because I had no idea how long whatever curse that was placed on me would last. But what I could promise her was that I would be around for as long as I could.

She turned to face me and I remembered the look that was in her eyes right now from the day that we sat together after I helped Bandit Keith to move onwards. It was both sad and happy. It made me wonder just what happened to her back in the days before she became immortal.

If I had any money left, I would bet it all on that Ancient, Dartz. He was up to something and I - the slave - was going to find out what.

* * *

_It was a usual routine for us. Every other night we would sneak out onto the practice grounds and spar, practicing our Warrior magic while holding us a joint Illusion over us to make it look to any passers-by that the fields were empty._

_However, this night was a little different. Instead of heading into the grounds, we covered ourselves in heavy cloaks and headed out into the city. There was a meeting tonight and I wanted to show Atem that Dartz was just as crafty and scum-bag-ish as I had described._

_And yet, she still wouldn't stop talking about the man. All I'd been hearing lately was "Oh, King Dartz did this amazing spell the other day. I wonder if he'd teach me it." Or even "He told me that he wanted to show me what his home looked like. How wonderful would it be, to look upon the Land of Mu? It would be beautiful, don't you think Bakura?"_

_I really, really wanted to punch that guy in the face. This - whatever this was - was his entire fault._

_The doorman recognized me from last time and greeted me like an old friend. He then glanced over at Atem and asked who the 'pretty lady was.' If that didn't almost make me keel over, it was Atem cover that should have done it._

_As we took out seats at a table, I snapped at her, "Wife? Wife?"_

_"It was the best I could come up with on such short notice," she hissed back at me. "Why? What's wrong with it?"_

_"I don't know," I rolled my eyes. "Maybe it's the fact that you just told a random person that we were married!"_

_"Oh, grow up, Bakura," she scoffed at me. "It's not like we actually are married. That could..." she paused for a second, "That could never happen between the two of us."_

_Something sunk in my chest when she said that, but rage built up in its place as Dartz walked into the room._

_Atem gasped beside me, "You were right. He does have a extra powers."_

_His eyes were a solid gold when she said those words. There, I thought. There. Now her hero worship of him would fade and she would go back to looking at..._

_Looking at...me..._

_Oh gods above, no. Please don't let it be true. I couldn't have...I shouldn't have..._

_I had feelings for her, feelings for Atem. No, this could not get any worst than this._

_They could, apparently, because she was now looking at the King of Mu with such blatant admiration that should have been directed towards me, damn it. Atem looked at me like that in the past, in the minutes before the Death Touch revealed himself and tried to attack us. So why? Why had she stopped?_

_Because nothing could happen between us. How shameful would it be for the crown princess, the heiress to the throne, to be caught in a relationship with a slave? I'd be killed and her reputation would be destroyed. An X'tabay demon whore, the Death Touch had called her. Would she be known as worse if we were caught?_

_There were already enough rumors going around about her being with members of the army. If I was added into the mix - I, the slave who was beside her day in and day out - I would only make it so much worse for her. No one would ever take her seriously again._

_"Well, well. Aren't we the happy couple?" Dartz's voice made me jump. I hadn't even heard him sneaking up behind us, "Or, at least, that's what the Shape Changer at the door told me. But we all know that's not true."_

_Atem and I froze, the words "Caught-caught-caught" ringing in both of our minds. I grabbed her hand under the table. He would not hurt her._

_"May I sit down?" The King of Mu asked. "I'm sorry for all the secrecy. Gifts like ours, even amongst my people, are not that well accepted. I wish I could have told you when we met earlier."_

_I nodded slowly, squeezing Atem's hand to tell her that I had control of the situation. I knew what she was thinking. What if Dartz told the King of her ability to see spirits? She would have to face the reality that her own father would order her death._

_"What do you want?" I growled at him._

_His eyebrows Flew into his hairline, "My, my. I didn't expect the quiet slave to have such a temper."_

_"I'll show you a temper" I growled under my breath._

_"Bakura!" Atem whispered, "Stop it, please. His Majesty doesn't mean any harm. Besides..." she turned to Dartz, "Am I correct in assuming that you will be in an equal amount of trouble if it is discovered that you have these powers as well?"_

_"You are as knowledgeable and observant as they say you are, Your Highness," he nodded his head in mock-respect. I wanted to tear out his throat when I saw Atem blush._

_"Ah, where are my manners?" He chuckled to himself, "Let me introduce myself properly. I am Dartz, Creator."_

_"What?" The two of us asked him. Atem continued on to say, "What's a Creator?"_

_"Has no one explained to you what the different gifts are?" He asked, "Well, I would expect so, considering your Father's...lovely opinion on us."_

_"We know some," I defended our some what knowledge. "Like Death Touches, Seers, and Shape Changers."_

_"I did not mean to insult you," he raised hands in surrender. "Let's see. What can you two do?"_

_I glanced sideways at Atem. She shrugged and told him of our powers._

_His eyes widened, "I should have guessed, but...the both of you? Together? No, it seems almost impossible."_

_"What do you mean?" She asked, leaning in eagerly._

_"A pair of Necromancers - that's you two, by the way - living beside each other. Your kind are rare enough as it is, and for you to find one another...you must have quite a few gods looking out for you two. And you," Dartz pointed at me. "No wonder you smell the way you do. You are truly blessed to have such a talent. A True Necromancer. I thought you were only a myth."_

_"What are you rambling about now?" I sneered at him._

_"Do you realize the Gift you have been given?" He leaned forwards, as if amazed that I was in front of him, "Necromancers are rare, yes, but True Necromancers? Hah! One in ten thousand Necromancers at least are supposed to have your powers. You could bring the dead to life if you wanted to by giving spirits physical form."_

_"Of course I can do that," I huffed, turning to Atem. "Can't you?"_

_She slowly shock her head, "I didn't even know that it was possible."_

_"I wonder...I wonder what else you could do..." he seemed to stare off into space, imagining the possibilities of my powers. I stared at my own hands. Was I really that powerful?_

_"And what about you, Your Majesty?" Atem prompted._

_"Please call me Dartz," he waved off her stuttering that she could never take that liberty with his hand. "Creators, like myself, can imagine anything and make it reality."_

_"Illusionist do that all the time," I snorted. He wasn't that great._

_"But can they make it real?" He asked, holding out his hand. Golden magic swirled in his hand before shifting and taking the form of a flower I had never seen before. It was red and folded upon itself like a cup._

_"A rose," he explained as he offered it to Atem, "for the pretty girl."_

_Don't take it, I wanted to tell her. Please, don't take it. I can't compete with a king like him._

_"I - I'm sorry, Your Majesty," she was as red as I had ever seen her, but Atem was refusing his gift and that meant something. "I can't accept something like that. You already have a wife and I - "_

_"I can have more than one," his voice was heavy with something akin to lust._

_"My Lord, I can't," she pleaded with him. "My father has not allowed it. And I do not plan to - "_

_"Plus she's already married," I interjected. Two sets of eyes - one golden and the other maroon - in confusion. "To me. Remember?"_

_I held up our joined hands for him to see. Atem's eyes were wide and something flashed behind Dartz's. Something I didn't like._

_"Of course," his voice seemed a little forced. "How could I forget?"_

_The meeting seemed to last extra long and in that whole time I not once let go of her hand. Even if it was just for show, even if our 'marriage' was as fake as Dartz's supposed feelings for her, I was not going to let Atem go. She would not fall for him, no. I would not be subject to following around a bunch of half-human blue haired babies because some Ancient piece of shit decided that he needed to seduce her. No, I was not going to let that happen._

_Dartz disappeared in a swirl of black smoke afterwards, so I walked back to the palace with Atem in silence. I could tell that she was angry with me._

_"If you've got something to say, then just say it," I told her when we were finally safe in her room. She turned around and pushed me into a wall._

_"What in the world is your problem, Bakura?"_

_"What is - what is my problem?" I snapped at her, "You ask me that after all that crap Dartz was spewing about you? I was defending your honour!"_

_"I can defend my own honour, Bakura. I don't need your help," she yelled back at me._

_"You have no idea what he wanted from you, what he wants to do with you," I towered over her. "He just wants to get you into bed with him."_

_"You don't think I know that?" I gasped at her words. No. No, she wasn't planning on going through with this with Dartz. Atem wouldn't do that to me. I was...I was..._

_I was just her slave so what right did I have to her? What right did I have to tell her what she could and couldn't do? Gods please, no!_

_"The Ancients came here because they want to negotiate a treaty with my father," she told me. "And as much as I hate it, I will be my father's biggest bargaining chip. Don't you realize, Bakura? Didn't you think it was a little odd for my father to introduce me to Dartz before any of his advisors. He hates me because I killed mother, but I'm useful to him because I'm female."_

_She took a deep breath and said the words I never wanted to hear come out of her mouth, "It may not be for a while - it might not even happen this year. But sometime in the process of these negotiations, I will become engaged to King Dartz of Mu in order to secure this alliance. I might as well get friendly with my future husband, alright? It'll make things less awkward when the time comes."_

_"No."_

_"What?"_

_"No," I repeated. "No, you can't."_

_"Why not?" She took her cloak from me and stuffed it into one of her boxes._

_"Because you don't want to," it was so obvious that it hurt. Atem didn't want this at all._

_"What does it matter whether I want this or not? Bakura, if it were up to me, I wouldn't get married ever. But I don't have that choice, not while I remain part of the royal line," she spat out those last words with a vengeance._

_"You always have a choice, Atem!"_

_"I don't," she spat. "Besides, I don't know why you're complaining. The Ancient Ones don't keep slaves. If I were to marry Dartz, you would be freed."_

_My jaw dropped with an audible crack. Free? I would no longer be a slave? I could go back to my old life and live as a common man. I had forgotten what that was like. Had I become so used to this life?_

_But did I even want to leave? Leave Atem? Leave this girl-warrior who bordered on womanhood that I had grown to care deeply for?_

_I wanted to be free, but I wanted to stay with Atem as well. Damn it. Damn it all. When did this become so complicated? Why her? Why Atem? Why now?_

_It was inevitable that Atem would marry Dartz. It was going to happen, whether I wanted it to or not. I just had to be ready to accept it when the time came. I had to forget this feelings because they would only hurt in the long run._

_I had to forget Atem and move on. Somehow..._

_A distraction was necessary, I realized as Atem fell into uneasy sleep that night. A distraction, preferably in the form of a woman._

_Ix Chel, I decided. Ix Chel would do._

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank those who reviewed for the last chapter: Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, Malik'sStalker, Coolaloo, and Akikee. Thanks for being awesome!**

**So _finally_ there is some acknowledgement of Bakura's (or at least, Mayan!Bakura's) feelings for Atem. Finally. They are so deep in denial about these things that I thought that they would never get out. However, when characters start writing themselves, who knows where they will end up.**

**Dartz is back, being cunning as usual. Bakura sees Atem semi-naked and gets to hold her hand. Can't wait for the next chapter to come up as we will get a little insight into the background of one of the spirits. ****However, that post may come a little late because I am moving into my university dorm soon. Can't wait to start my first year! I'm so excited! I will try, though, to get you guys something as soon as I can. I will not abandon you all.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, drop me a line on my forum, write a review, or send me a PM.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	21. Tin Foil Hats

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer**: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

_To all six of my roommates  
You are my new family  
We will make it though this together_

* * *

**Chapter 21: Tin Foil Hats**

_Tuesday, February 21st, 2017_

We were practicing falling in Combat and, no, before you ask, Kaiba wasn't just knocking us down for the living heck of it (though I wouldn't put it past him to do such a thing). No, instead we were learning how to harden our bones so that we could survive a three story jump and walk away unscathed.

Eventually, we'd move up to five stories and then seven. Apparently, the highest someone had jumped down from before was fifteen stories. Anymore than that and you would seriously get hurt.

Kaiba had taken us to an abandoned warehouse building so that we could practice. He had made us run all the way there without using our magic. It was a good fifteen minutes before we made it there. I was further convinced of the CEO's sadistic tendencies.

So there I was, standing on a ledge, three stories up, going to jump downwards. It seemed a lot farther down than just three floors. It looked for like seventy. Seventy two, at the most.

Kaiba had mentioned that it was unlikely that I would die from jumping at this height, but I wasn't so sure. What if I messed up? What is, for some reason, this all went terribly wrong and I ended up in a coma for the rest of my life?

Hey! Hey! Listen.

I looked around to see the owner of the voice, only to realize that it was Akeifa trying to get my attention.

"What?" I muttered. Marik, who was standing beside me looked over in confusion. I mouthed Akeifa's name and his eyes widened with understanding.

The secret to doing this is to leap into the fire while you're in the air, he explained. This Kaiba person is technically right, though, about focusing your power in your legs to strengthen them on impact. But I've always found it worked better if you just leap in the air. It sends a fresh jolt through your entire body. I leapt off a cliff once doing that and I was fine.

"Really? Thanks, mate," I told him.

"What he say?" Marik asked eagerly.

"Akeifa recommended jumping into the fire when you're in the air instead of what Kaiba's telling us to do," I repeated his advice.

"Really? I mean, I've always felt some pain in my knees after I jump. Will this really help?"

I shrugged, "Might as well give it a try."

And with that, I found my way into my soul and stepped out of the magical flame in my Room. Then, summoning up all the courage I had, I leapt off the ledge and plummeted to the ground. Just before I landed, I threw myself back into the fire and felt the rush of magic through my body. I let my knees bend on impact and landed on the floor of the warehouse alive and well.

There was none of the hurting that Marik described, so I gave him the thumbs up. He grinned down at me and disappeared. Then his body flew off the edge (I guess he took a running start) and he landed just a gracefully as me.

"That was so cool!" He threw his hands up, "Hey, tell him thanks for me too. Whoo!"

I relayed his message and could feel Akeifa's smirk; I would very much like to meet this Marik someday in person.

"That can be arranged," I told him.

There was a feeling of shock and then, I-I don't know. It's just - the real world - I've already gotten a taste of it and the others haven't. Maybe they should go first...

But I could tell that there was something else bothering him. He would tell me on his own time, but if I had to guess it would be because of Atem.

"She's not angry with you," I told him. "If anything, I think she wants to see you too."

No! He yelled and I flinched from the volume. No, I just...I just can't. I'm not ready yet.

And with that he was gone.

Love-struck fool, Game Master whispered from my mind.

I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes and entered my Soul Room. I marched outside and banged on the door that I knew belonged to him.

"Don't make me say what I've come to say out here where everyone can hear me."

I could hear him sigh through the door and then it unlocked, swinging outwards with a loud creek. I stepped inside, hesitantly.

Game Master's Room looked like a stereotypical medieval bedroom. There was a four-poster bed with blue hangings on the columns. A fireplace, burning with a familiar red flame, was set into the wall. There were paintings hanging in the stone walls of faces I didn't recognize. Game Master stood in the corner, glaring at me under his white hair.

"What?" He snapped.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked, "I know you've got issues with Atem, but why do you have to take them out on Akeifa? He's done nothing wrong."

He snorted, "Don't be stupid. He still thinks he's something special to her, but he's wrong. He's just the sixth in a long line of people called Bakura."

He laughed cruelly, "Just like I was number three. You don't think it's a coincidence, do you, that M'lady just happens to travel into our countries at the exact time that we are there? No, I bet that she tracks us down and searches us out. It wasn't chance that brought her to that village where I found her. It wasn't luck that she managed to convince me to hire her as a servant. She witched me with her mind and her body. Just like she witched Akeifa, though the idiot doesn't have the brains in his head to figure that out.

"And you," Game Master snarled at me. "You disgust me even more than he does. Here you are, with the knowledge of what happened to each of us - knowledge that we never got the chance to have - and yet you still trail after her like a loyal lap dog."

"Shut the fuck up!" I yelled, "Just shut up. You don't know anything -"

"I don't know anything? I don't know anything? You forget who you're talking to, boss. I know a lot more than you know, more than you'll ever know. You've known her for months. I've known her for years," his voice was low and dark, angry almost. "And after everything that I did, everything that I went through for her, do you know how she repaid me? By moving on and sleeping with Soul Steeler, that jumped up slut!"

I couldn't take it anymore. I stepped forward and punched him in the face. The red flame in the corner jumped and then -

_I was staring at him - her - from behind. She was bathing in the stream again. This was the third time that I'd caught her like this and she didn't know that I'd discovered her secret yet._

And then -

_She was running behind me as I rode quickly away from her. It was our silent deal: if I could loose her, she would go away and leave me be. But this time, she was sick and breathing terribly. I slowed to a halt and held out my hand._

And then -

_The monster was dead on the ground, limbs torn from it's body and I couldn't remember how, so she must have done it. The wound in my side was gone, so she must have done that too. Rain was falling from the sky and suddenly her lips were on mine and she was whispering in between kisses "You're alive. You're alive." I was shocked and scared, but I didn't pull away because, as much as I hated it, I wanted this so bad._

And then -

I was back, back in my own memories, my own soul. I stepped backwards, shocked at what I'd just seen. I looked up at Game Master and he had stepped back, eyes wide with shock.

"Did you...see that?" He asked breathlessly.

"You watched her bathe?" I stared at him incredulously, "You're worse than me."

"Sh-shut up," he actually looked a little embarrassed. "Get out."

"And what was that monster?"

"I said get out!" He threw up his hands and the flame in the fireplace rushed towards me and pushed me out of his room.

I woke up in my real body and moved towards the edge of the ledge once more. I remembered the feeling of need that had coursed through my veins when I experienced Game Master's memories. If he felt that at one point for Atem, what had happened to make him this angry at her now? Or maybe, I thought, it was just something that snuck up on him over time. I'd find out eventually what had happened between them.

I looked down passed the edge and jumped off.

* * *

Game Master, had he been born in our century, would have been the guy who wore tin foil hats and installed a nuclear bunker in his basement. His computer would have so many firewalls and anti-virus programs that he wouldn't be able to run anything on it. His home would be equipped with cameras and lazar beam security fences, making it impossible to get anything in or out without him knowing about it.

So it would be fair to say that the guy is a little bit paranoid.

He was born in the year 1362 in the Kingdom of Castile and Leon, a kingdom that would eventually become part of modern-day Spain. When he was old enough, Game Master attended the Spanish campus of Camelot Academy of Magic and learned to control his powers. He favoured Enchantment because of his need to know what everyone else around him was thinking. He was easily the greatest Enchanter to ever come out of that school, if not the entire world. He knew more about what each of his fellow students were doing than some of their best friends. Game Master never really trusted people because he knew that they lied a lot.

When he returned to his home, he decided that he was going to give up his dream to become a scholar and joined the military. He wasn't going to have a future as a page-turner and, even though his belief in God was as strong as ever, he was never going to become a priest (he like visiting the local brothels a little too much). So the army was his only option.

After a few years of training and saving up his money, Game Master purchased a horse and began his ride to the southern Kingdom of Granada to fight the people living there. On the way, he stopped in a town in search of a servant. There was only one that peaked his interest. A boy with gold, black, and red hair. A boy with maroon eyes.

A boy who's mind he couldn't read.

The boy (Atem, he introduced himself as) could use magic too, but seemed a bit too young to be able to control it as well has he did. He'd never gone to Camelot before, Game Master would have recognized him of he had. He could run in time with a galloping horse and prevent his chain mail from rusting.

Of course, Game Master discovered later that Atem was actually a girl. That discovery nearly gave him a heart attack because Camelot, until the 16th century, was for men only (European women didn't start actively learning magic until long after the Witch Hunts were over, ironically). His mind was later blown to bits when he found out that she was The Immortal, a title that Atem had picked up over the centuries. But the worst was yet to come.

He'd grown to fancy her. It was the first time that he'd ever really felt a genuine attachment to someone, so Game Master was a little scared about it. He had to trust that she was telling the truth because he had no other way of verifying her words. But it was how Atem would say something that would make him smile or laugh in a way that he'd never done before that made him fall for her.

But he was convinced that he was never good enough for her, that he was unworthy of any attention that she gave to him. He wanted her to leave so that he simply wouldn't have to deal with that fear. Atem scared him because of his inability to read her mind: he never understood why she kept following him.

He never got to understand how much she actually loved him.

* * *

So I kind of still have a little bit of trouble with possession. But just a little bit. Really.

Okay, so I still sucked, but at least I knew that I could do it.

It was a bit different than when I let spirits like Akeifa possess me. They were easy. Just grab one, drag him out of his Soul Room and toss him to the end of the corridor in my mind. Simple.

It was so much harder when it wasn't the spirit of some guy that you despised, both in life and in death, and wanted to get him to pass on as quickly as possible so that you didn't have to stare at his ugly mug any longer than you had to.

"Fucking old cat women," I grumbled under my breath as we walked back to the KaibaCorp building.

Atem was laughing, actually laughing, at me, "I don't know what you're complaining about, Bakura. She seemed like a lovely person."

"I swear, every single old bat who kicked the bucket after their hundredth birthday had fifteen cats," I complained. "And they loved them more than their own children. Why else, pray tell, would they want to see each and every one of their precious furry felines before they passed on?"

I threw my hand up in frustration, "I mean, I like cats and all, don't get me wrong. Its just there is a fine line between liking something and obsessing over it."

"I'm more of a dragon person than a cat person myself," she said lightly. My jaw dropped.

"You have pet dragons?"

"They're not pets," she corrected me. "They're Summons."

"But they're actual dragons?" No way. Atem could not be this awesome.

"Yes, actual dragons," she looked at me perplexed. "Why?"

"I have been reading sci-fi and fantasy books since I was eleven and you are living me dream."

She just stared at me, mouth hung open as she tried to form words. Then she shook her head, "Crazy..."

"Can you introduce me?" I asked joyfully.

"Unless you want to pass out for a month after Summoning Slifer, then the answer is no," Atem rolled her eyes at me.

"I'll take my chances. What can Slifer do?" I was grinning so hard it actually hurt my face.

"He breathes lightning out of his mouths," she sighed. "And no, before you ask, I'm not introducing you to him - you know that you look really stupid with at smile on, right?"

"You are so freaking cool," I told her. She looked confused, "You have a dragon. Named Slifer. That spits lightning."

"I fail to see how my choice in Summons reflects my body temperature," she didn't get it.

"No: cool. As in the slang term," she obviously didn't get my explanation. "As in amazing. How did you get through the 70s without hearing the term 'cool'?"

"I was in hiding," Atem said it like it was supposed to be obvious.

"Where?"

"In the Rocky Mountains."

"Where in the Rocky Mountains?"

"On top of them. In Canada."

There was a pause where I processed this information. And then, "Did you kill a bear with your hands while you were up there?"

She pulled a book out of nowhere at wacked me over the head with it.

"Ow! What was that for?" I shouted.

"For being an idiot. A stupid," thwack, "stupid," thwack, "stupid," thwack-thwack-thwack, "idiot."

"Stop hitting me," I cried, trying not to laugh. "This is child abuse!"

Atem beat me to the punch, bursting out in breathless laugher that refused to contain it self. Soon after, I joined her. We must have looked like a pair of idiots to the people walking by. I was sure that we got more than a couple of strange looks.

But if there was one thing that I remembered from all of that, it was that Atem had a beautiful laugh. The sound of it, combined with how her maroon eyes lit up and the wide grin on her face made it so. And I wanted to hear her laugh more often.

Took her by the hand and we ran like the stupid people we were all the way back to Atlantis.

* * *

_Friday, February 24th, 2017_

I decided that I was going to do a little research on Atem's life myself. I had a little more than an hour before I had to be at Medicine, so I turned on my tablet and opened the internet app, locating the site my sister had shown me a few weeks ago.

The home page of 'Who is Yugi Mutuo?' had a massive, blown-up, covertly taken picture of Atem positioned at its centre. Underneath was the caption "Have you seen this woman? Click the link below."

Well, technically, I had, so I followed the instructions. It brought me to the main sight. It was surprisingly well formatted, with interesting graphics and everything. I clicked on the link that said 'Sightings' and waited for the page to load.

There were a bunch of pictures; old-fashioned black-and-white stills, and even a few coloured photographs. There were drawings and links and all sorts of other things as well. Scans of diaries from notable historical figures like Napoleon were there as well. I remembered my promise to Akeifa to find out what happened to him and mentally poked him.

Hmmm? He mumbled. What?

"I think I might have something on Napoleon. You asked if I could find out some stuff about him, so here it is, "I told him. "Can you see the page through my eyes or do you want to possess me?"

I could feel him shift nervously. I was tempted to roll my eyes, "Look, Atem's not going to walk in."

It's not that, he mumbled. I never got a schooling. I can't read.

"Oh," I said. "There's a translation under it. I could read it to you."

Alright, he agreed, sounding a bit more relieved than I thought was necessary.

And so I did. It was a page from one of Napoleon Bonaparte's journals, one that the French government had paid Google outrageous amounts of money to have it be the very last thing that comes up on a search. Apparently, most people don't look past the first page on a search engine, so almost no one looked on the last page. And this journal wasn't something that anyone should have been looking at.

Napoleon wasn't an Other, but he definitely knew about magic. He'd written about it in this journal of his. It was a description of a day in his life during the Revolution. There were mundane things, like what he'd eaten for breakfast, but there were mentions of some other things. Things like a different war that he was fighting other than the Revolution, but the threat's name were smudged so I couldn't tell what it was. And there, there she was.

Atem.

She wasn't mentioned by name, but Napoleon wrote her in as L'Immortel, or The Immortal according to the English translation. It was, according to Akeifa, a title she'd picked up over the years. And she'd been there, sitting with the man who would later become the Empire of France, apparently staring out the window with sad eyes. She was remembering...there was a blank, like someone had removed the ink on the page...and then something about a great and noble fighter who had died recently.

"Hey, Akeifa. I think he was talking about you," I whispered. I didn't know that it was possible to hear someone smiling - let alone someone who had been dead for two hundred years.

Do you know what else happened to him? How he lived his life after I died? He asked. Did he end up marrying Josephine?

I searched for Napoleon's name elsewhere on the page, but there was nothing. I opened up a new tab and logged onto Wikipedia, typing in the man's name into the search box.

"Uh, let's see. Napoleon Bonaparte...ah, here it is: 'He was romantically attached to Barras's former mistress, Joséphine de Beauharnais, whom he married on 9 March 1796 after he had broken off his engagement to Désirée Clary.' And...oh, and then he basically took over Italy. Sacked Venice while he was at it. Hung out in Egypt for a while; bet Soul Stealer would have loved him..."

Though I never met the man, I could teach you a few curses we might have thrown at him, Soul Stealer shouted jokingly from his room.

Never mind him. Go back to what you were reading, Akeifa sounded excited.

"Alright," I snickered at their antics. "After the Egyptian Campaign, he went back to France and became part of the Consulate and revolutionized the country. Invented the metric system, created higher education systems, named a code of law after himself. And then, he crowned himself Emperor of France after an assassination attempt, with Josephine as his empress."

That's great! I'm happy for them, he whispered.

"That's not all," I went on to say. "Things kind of went down hill after that. He divorced his wife (What_?_) and married a woman named Marie Louise (What?) and then tried to invade Russia, but was forced to retreat because of the winter (No...no it can't be...). He was exiled to a place called Elba (_Son of a -_) but came back to France afterwards. The new king, Louis XVI - no offense, but your monarchy was completely unoriginal with their names - runs away with his tail between his legs and Napoleon rules until he is exiled again. This time, however, he doesn't come back. He dies on the island of Saint Helen because of an ulcer - Akeifa, are you alright?"

I was getting an odd feeling from him, one of complete shock. I was almost tempted to go in and check on him, but then there was a wave of anger that I never thought would ever come from him. I suddenly understood how this man was able to become the killer that Kaiba feared so much.

They got him, he whispered. The bastards got him in the end.

And then he was gone.

I still had about half an hour, so I closed the window and looked back at the bits of proof of Atem's travels. One stood out more than the rest: a drawing that was more of a sketch than anything else. Underneath it was the caption, "Drawn by a young man at the signing of the Treaty of Granada."

Granada. Granada. The name sounded familiar, so I Googled it. Apparently, it was the treaty that ended the fighting between the Christian soldiers of modern-day northern Spain and the Muslim fighters of the south...

Wait...Spain? I did a little more searching and came up with my connection. The Treaty of Granada had put an end to the Spanish Reconquista, the war that Game Master had taken part of.

And Atem...Atem had...

"Game Master, you need to see this."

No, go away.

"No really, you need to see this."

I said...there was a treaty? He seemed surprised, Spain is united?

"Yes," I whispered. "And look who's standing there, at the signing."

No...

"Yeah. That's her. That's Atem."

She was a little difficult to recognize. The male clothing didn't help and neither did the shortened hair. But it was her and there was no doubt in my mind that she had help put this all together.

"The date, Game Master. Look at the date," I told him. "1491. What year did you die in?"

There was a pause and then, _1391_.

"One hundred years. She stayed behind for one hundred years, to finish what you started. She ended your war for you, even though it took her a whole century to do it. She did it for you."

No...Game Master's voice was shaking, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He tried to escape into the back of his Room, but I chased after him.

He was pacing like a caged animal, sputtering and pulling at his hair, wild red eyes darting around the Room. He muttered under his breath in what I assumed was Spanish. Either way, I couldn't understand it.

"Will you stop that? You're making me dizzy," I told him. "Just say what you're thinking for once, instead of covering it up."

He slammed him fists into the stone wall, letting out a noise that sounded like a chocked-up attempt not to cry. Game Master stayed in that position as I approached, wary of any attempt to throw me from his Room again. When I got close enough, I could see him shaking.

I didn't know how it worked, but I knew that if I touched him in here, I would be able to see parts of his past. Maybe I would be able to understand what was bothering him so much.

I reached out, but hovered over his shoulder long enough for him to know what I was planning to do. Game Master did nothing, so I lowered it onto him and was thrust into his memories -

_I half-walked myself and was half-carried by Atem back to the room at the inn where he were staying. The side of my tunic was soaked in my own blood, but the wound was long gone. She'd healed my flesh, but my mind was still churning from what that monster had called her. Princess._

_Princess. This was horrible. She couldn't be a princess. Princesses had hands that were as smooth. Princesses were soft spoken and wouldn't touch a weapon if you paid them. Princesses weren't...weren't like she was at all._

_Atem dumped me onto the single bed in the room, leaping on top of me and pinning me down as I tried to sit up. I tried to argue with her - I was fine, really - but she slapped her hand over my mouth and forced me back._

_"Don't," her voice was ragged and unsteady and I remembered her desperate kisses from moments before. "Don't get up. You could still be hurt."_

_And then Atem started fiddling with the laces on my tunic like it was the most normal thing on earth. I should have stopped her, but I couldn't move._

_After my shirt was gone, she moved down-down-down my torso and off of my hips and bent over to...take off my boots? Oh, right. It was almost dark and she was preparing me for bed. Like a servant. But she wasn't a servant; she was royalty - God's chosen rulers over mortal men._

_Then she rolled off of me and stepped off the bed. Atem was shaking badly. She'd used up a lot of magic fighting that thing, whatever it was. And she was about to sleep on the floor, like she always did. But no, this time it was different._

_"You cannot sleep down there," I told her._

_"Why not?" She snapped, "I've been sleeping down here for a while."_

_"You cannot. Princesses do not sleep on floors."_

- And stepped backwards away from Game Master. I'd seen enough.

"Is that why?" I asked, "Is that why you're always so mad at her? Because of..." I trailed off.

He remained silent for a while, but eventually did answer, "She is royalty. I had no business being anywhere near her, let alone...let alone to court her, if you could call what we did courting."

"Weren't you a noble?" I asked.

"Yes, but..." he made a sound that might have been an attempt at laughter, "I was the youngest of five sons. My father was a Count and a poor one at that. I would have inherited nothing at his death. I couldn't have given her anything. And Atem...M'lady was a princess, an heiress to a mighty Empire. God chooses Kings to be his representative on Earth. I should have never..." he broke off again, letting out a yell of frustration.

"When she was young, really young - like five years old," I told him. "Atem ran away from her family. She was nearly killed when a market stall crashed on top of her. But a boy whom she had never met before saved her life. She learned then at a life was a life, no matter the title or status of the person it belonged to. So I think that Atem didn't see the fifth son of a poor Count when she looked at you. She saw you; she saw...Bakura the Game Master."

He slid to the floor, "No, she couldn't have. M'lady couldn't have cared like that."

"Then you explain to me why she bothered to stay behind for a century after your death to complete what you started. Because if she didn't care, I would really like to understand Atem's motives here."

He couldn't give me one. Game Master just broke down and cried.

"God! Is this my Hell, my punishment for my sins? Why did it have to be this?"

I wanted to do something, but someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Akeifa standing behind me. He jerked his head towards the exit as if to say, 'Go, I'll take care of this.' I nodded and left, only looking back as I closed the door.

Akeifa was kneeling beside Game Master. The older of the two spirits was trying to push the other away from him, but Game Master's attempts were half-hearted and weak. Akeifa mumbled something and wrapped his arm around the other spirit's shoulders.

I shut the door and left, wondering just how bad things had gotten for Game Master to be like that. I hoped that, one day, he'd be able to see past what had happened to him and simply live again.

I also hopped, rather selfishly, that I would never turn out like Game Master. I didn't wanted to end up as broken as him.

* * *

**Hello, my friends!**

**I would like to thank the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Akikee, Coolaloo, Malik'sStalker, and Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele. Thank you all for your continued support.**

**This was an awesome chapter to write. Game Master has, over the course of The First Year, become my favourite of the spirits. His back story, as you will find out in Resurrection is very complicated, especially when Atem comes into his life. As I said in the forum post I did on the spirits, it is crucial to remember what time period he comes from:**

_The thing to remember about Game Master is that he is a hard core Christian living in Medieval Europe. The Crusades and the witch burnings are going on and the Church is, effectively, the only law. So, when Game Master develops feelings for Atem, he fears them. Atem is a woman doing men's things (like going to war), unmarried, not a virgin, isn't white, cursed, immortal, and a heathen. Not to mention that she's royalty (Game Master is also a believer in the Divine Right of Kings) and the youngest son's of poor counts don't court princesses. And the worst bit: he can't repent for anything because repenting means that you are asking for forgiveness from God. Despite his fear, Game Master isn't sorry that he loves Atem._

**As for the next chapter, there's going to be a huge game changer that you will not see coming. Well, technically two game changer, but one's been in the making for a while. Can't freaking wait!**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	22. Shoved Up My Nose

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer**: Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 22: Shoved Up My Nose**

_Sunday, February 26th, 2017_

I was dreading this day ever since I had my argument with my sister. It was the day that I was to return home to Domino City. It was the day that I had to face Amane again.

I wondered if there was a way to make this any worse. I hoped there wasn't; I didn't know if I could handle it if it got much worse for me. Marik stood by the window, looking out at the busy streets below.

"I always get this feeling of amazement when I see them," he said, pointing to the tiny moving people. "It's just a hunk of glass, but it's all that separates our world for theirs. I wonder what would happen if they knew what was going on a few stories above them."

"That sounds like you were trying to say something metaphoric there," I snorted, trying to ease my own tension. "Don't tell me, you're going to become a poet when you grow up."

"This coming from the guy that has his nose in a new book ever time I see him, Mr. Scholar," he laughed.

"Yeah, well...shut up."

"Make me."

I rolled my eyes at him. It wasn't effective. Damn.

And then there was a knock on our door. I turned around and opened it slightly to see who was on the other side. My stomach did a backflip, "Atem? What are you doing here?"

Marik heard me and his eyes widened. I remembered that the two of them had only ever seen each other from a distance before. I wanted to invite her in, introduce her to my roommate, but she had other ideas.

"May I speak with you for a moment?" She asked politely.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," I stumbled through my words, looking back at Marik for advice. He shrugged and gave me nothing. Double damn.

I stepped outside because Atem didn't seem to want to discuss whatever it was that she wanted to talk about in front of someone else. As the door clicked shut, I asked, "What's up?"

"I just..." she paused and sighed, biting her lip. I raised an eyebrow; Atem seemed nervous about something. She was never nervous about anything. Ever.

"You just..." I prompted her.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to be away for a while," she said. "I should be back in time for your lessons to start up again, but in case I'm not..." she trailed off again.

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

"I can't tell you that."

"Oh," my shoulders sagged. I wished that she would trust me with more information, "Will you be safe?"

Atem closed her eyes and opened them in a long blink, "Not at all."

Then she turned to walk down the hallway, but I reached out on impulse and grabbed her wrist. I panicked when I realized what I'd done. What was I going to say now?

But then she looked at me, at me but not at me at the same time. It was a sad look, but hopeful as well and I wanted her to stay but at the same time I knew she had to go.

"To hell with it," I mumbled and pulled Atem into a hug. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, breathing in deeply. I could smell the clean scent her body soup mixed with the fruity shampoo she used. And then there was the chemicalized smell of detergent coming from her shirt.

"Come back to me," I whispered into her hair. "Please. Just come back to me."

I wondered, for one maddening second, if her skin would taste like something if I just opened my mouth and licked her neck.

Hands fisted the back of my shirt and I could feel Atem's body right through her clothing. I remembered what she looked like naked, how it felt to have her lips pressed against my skin, how the inside of her mouth tasted.

"Okay, Bakura," she muttered as she pulled away. Atem looked at me with a degree of worship that I never even knew existed before and I pretended for a moment that she was actually aiming that look at me, at Ryou Bakura and I wanted to throw her up against a wall and make her say that name over and over and over.

And then it was gone. The look was gone and she was backing away, embarrassed. I couldn't have managed to blush if my life depended on it. I was far too horrified by what I'd just realized.

She turned back, just before slipping around the corner of the corridor, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," I croaked.

Atem disappeared in a wave of black and red hair as I stumbled back into my room. Marik was waiting.

"Well, what did she want to...okay, why do you look like you just saw a ghost? Ignoring, of course, that you see ghosts all the time because you're a Necromancer. I need to find a better figure of speech -"

"I think I fancy her," I blurted out.

"You what?" He asked. "Who?"

"Atem. I think I...I've got a crush on her," I couldn't believe what was coming out of my mouth, but it was the truth.

He gapped at me like a fish, "But she's so..." he couldn't find the right words, so he went with "old."

"I know," I moaned as the speaker system on our phones activated and names sounded, calling us down to PORT out.

"And she's a teacher," he gave me a very strange look. "Immortal, too. Cursed."

"I. Know." I pulled at my hair.

"You're insane."

"I must be," I gritted my teeth. "I have to be completely mad. Completely."

"Completely," Marik repeated. He continued to gape.

"I'm not a circus animal, stop looking at me like that!" I shouted.

"Sorry," he murmured. "It's just...it's Atem."

"I know," I stood up. "I know."

"Atem."

"Yeah."

"Atem. The Immortal. The only person born before the Cut Off who has survived to this day -"

"I know."

He paused, and then, "You're insane."

"Just end it for me now," I looked up at the sky in hopes of divine intervention. My name was called over the speaker.

I must have jinxed it. Things could always get worse. Much, much worse. I now had to go back to a sister who was mad at me because I wouldn't tell her about what I was and she thought that I had a crush on a dangerous woman who was going to end up killing me.

Well, only the crush thing was true. The rest...well, maybe that was kind of true too. Remembering that all the other Bakura's died while she had lived on, she might actually...

No, I was not doing to go down that path of thought. I was not going to die because of her. And I had to leave anyways. Leave and go from hell version number one to hell version number two. My life sucked so badly.

I grumbled my good-bye as Marik continued to stare. I didn't like what I was feeling at all; I shouldn't be feeling anything except respect or a little awe or maybe even a hint of something else.

I needed to stop this. Somehow. This wasn't right. I needed to stop. I really needed to stop this.

I activated the PORT in the alleyway as per usual and entered the black depths that were both familiar and foreign to me. I leaned my forehead against the wall of the strip mall, trying to collect my thoughts. How was I going to survive this week, knowing - feeling - what I now knew to be truth? I wished life would stop being so unbelievably unfair. Because I didn't know just how much more of this I could take.

* * *

Of course, had I known just how the next two weeks were going to go, I might have simply thrown in the towel and slept for a month just to avoid the entire thing. But then again, I'm not a Seer, so I wouldn't have known what was coming anyways.

You might be wondering just how things could get worse. And I will be honest when I say that, to this day, I still have no freaking clue as to why these things happen to me. If I had to blame anything or anyone, I would just curse Fate a bit. But that's just me.

So in the next two weeks, both of the worlds that I walked though, both Normal and Other, would come together with an almost explosive crash. I learned a lot because of those weeks, things like what might happen to me if I continued to stay by Atem, to get involved in what she did. I learned about whom I could trust when there were no Others around. And I learned that, sometimes, it is better to accept certain things than to deny them entirely.

Oh, yes. And I somehow managed to get Amane to dump Joey Wheeler. How I did, I have no idea, but Amane says that I convinced her to do it. Girls are so weird sometimes. Especially my sister, but I can't blame her for half of what happened to her. Some of it's my fault for not realizing it sooner. But that's a story for later. For now, let's just concentrate on the two weeks of pure stress, alright?

* * *

"You. Have got. To be kidding me. Joey Wheeler?"

"Oh, like you're one to talk," Amane shouted at me after I'd walked to see the pair of them snogging in the couch.

"What do you mean I'm one to talk? When was the last time that you ever walked in on me making out with someone before?" I yelled right back at her. Wheeler shifted uncomfortably on the couch, like he very much wanted to leave.

"Yeah, well...never mind that!" She stuttered, "At least I've kissed someone, unlike you."

"News flash for you. Been there, done that. Didn't see the appeal. Which brings us back to the original topic," I growled as her jaw dropped. "Joey-freaking-Wheeler. Of all the people in the world, why him?"

"And since when did you ever have a problem with the people I've dated, Ryou?" She raged. I gave her a pointed look that basically said Bandit Keith. She ignored me, "You don't trust me to handle my own life."

Wheeler was trying to edge away from the two of us, but I turned to him and shot him a look that told him to stay put if he knew what was good for him. He froze on the spot.

"I never said that. Quit jumping to conclusions!"

"You can't trust me with anything. Just keep out of my life. I was fine before you decided to swoop in and make me think we had a chance of - " Amane hesitated before continuing, "Think we had a chance of going back to the way things were."

"We do, okay. We were fine and - Joey Wheeler, if you move from that spot one more time, I will gut you like a fish!" I snarled at him. He paled, like he had in the graveyard all those months ago.

"Look," I decided to give Amane a bit of rope, in hopes that she could tie a bow with it (and not make a noose to hang me with). I addressed Wheeler this time, "If you make her cry, or upset her in anyway, I'll..." I paused, trying to come up with a threat, while ignoring that I killed my sister's last boyfriend because he hurt her, "...I'll take you out to the cemetery and make it happen again."

Wheeler's whole body shook, "You wouldn't dare..."

"Try me," my eyes narrowed.

"Make what happen?" Amane questioned, "Make what happen, Ryou? And what's this about a graveyard?"

"Later," I told her. "I'll explain later. And you," I pointed at Wheeler. "I'll be watching you. Now get out."

He ran for the door. Coward. Amane put her hands on her hips and huffed. I rolled my eyes, "What?"

"Graveyard," her tone said her next words quite simply. "Explain now."

"Later."

"No. Now, Ryou."

"Look, it happened on the day that we took out SATs. I was hanging out in the cemetery afterwards - don't give me that look, it's peaceful there," I said when she raised an eyebrow. "It gave me a chance to unwind. Anyways, your new boyfriend and his best friend showed up and tried to intimidate me. I told them a bunch stuff that went along with all the rumours that you've spread about me and they freaked out. I just wanted them to go away."

"That was around the time that you holed yourself up in your room and refused to come out unless it was an emergency," she frowned in thought. "That was around the time that you started to go to Atlantis."

"Yeah, so. That's just a coincidence," I lied.

"Somehow I doubt that," she spat at me. "So how's pretty Yugi doing?"

I flinched. So it had come back to this, "Can we not talk about this now?"

"That good, huh," Amane's voice was harsh and sarcastic. "What? Had a falling out with your girlfriend?"

"Amane, she's not...I mean, we're not...Damn it, can you just drop this? Please," I begged her. I really didn't want to think about Atem right now.

"You know, every time I think you're a little close to opening up and telling me the truth, you pull that line," she snapped. "You tell me that you're not going to say anything or you tell me to forget it or something else. But the thing is, Ryou, I don't forget it. I don't. I remember those disappearing bruises. I remember the lights that come from under your door. I remember how you...how you showed up out of nowhere and tore the door off of Keith's car. And now this - this thing in the graveyard. What is going on, Ryou? What?"

I turned away from her, planning to simply walk out of the room, but Amane threw a pillow at me from the couch, "Don't you dare move!"

I stopped, looking at my feet. I muttered, "You wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you."

Amane gasped behind me. I looked over my shoulder at her. "You just wouldn't believe it," I repeated.

And she just looked at me, black eyes staring into red, searching for what I meant by that. Then her head bobbed as she swallowed hard and said, "You never know for sure until you try."

I felt my heart skip a beat as I turned around fully. I took a step towards her, shyly reaching out with one hand but retracting it just as quickly. Could I...? Could I actually tell her? Would Amane trust me enough to believe what I was saying?

"Amane, I..." my mouth was working on it's own, despite the dryness on the inside and the tightness in my throat. "I...I have ma-"

The front door opened and dad came in. He swept into the room with a smile and called out, "Amane, how are you, darling?"

I decided it was time that I faded into the background, so I ran up stairs and into my room. I curled up under my desk and waited for the world to stop being so demanding. What the hell was I thinking, revealing my magic to Amane? I must be more insane that I originally thought I was. It was such a stupid, stupid idea that I was almost disgusted with myself.

The knob on my door turned and Amane walked in. Immediately she glanced towards my hiding spot.

"You haven't changed," she said almost jokingly. "You always used to hide under things when you were scared or upset."

"Shut up," I tried to sound intimidating, but my voice cracked halfway through. I hid my face in my knees.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"I already said. It's not that I won't, it's that I can't," I explained. "And it's not a made up answer. I can't tell you; I'm not allowed."

"They are threatening you, aren't they?" Amane crouched down, hands over her mouth on shock.

"No," I said. "It's just a rule. Atlantis is one of the best things that ever happened to me."

"Why aren't they allowing you to tell me?" She asked.

I shrugged, "It's safer, I guess. For you. For everyone."

"Are you in danger?"

"I don't think so," I answered.

Amane reached out and pulled me from my place under the desk. I followed her obediently, like a dog following his master. We sat on the floor of my room for a while. Then she lifted her hand up and passed them through the strands of hair on my head.

"I always liked your hair," she mumbled. "Remember how I used to play with it?"

"Kind of. It's a little hazy," I sighed.

Amane made a motion that I took to mean, 'Can I?' I nodded and let her move behind me. Her fingers sunk into my hair and started to work out the tangles.

After a few more minutes, she asked the question that I believed that she'd wanted to ask ever since I got home, "Are you and Yugi Mutuo together?"

I jumped a little, blushing bright red, "Atem? No."

"Oh," she seemed a bit happier. "But then why do you dream about her?"

"It's not like that - what you're thinking anyways," my face must have taken on a shade of crimson by that point. "They're not...uh, wet dreams or anything. She's just there sometimes."

Amane tugged at one particular knot that didn't seem to want to come undone. I winced at her forcefulness.

"Is she dangerous?" She asked.

I took a few seconds to think of an answer to that question. Atem was dangerous; there was no doubt about that. She was powerful and intelligent, quite a deadly combination. But...

"She's not dangerous," I told Amane. "Not to me."

"But she is to other people," she added on.

"I'm dangerous, Amane. But you seem to be running away from me."

The hands in my hair paused for a brief moment, before resuming their yanking.

"Why Joey Wheeler?" I blurted out.

"Honestly?" She snorted, "He was the person who would piss you off the most."

Laugher escaped from my lips in the form of a snort, "You're dating him because of me?"

"We're not really dating," Amane mumbled. "It's just kissing. And a little bit of groping."

"A little bit? His hand was up your shirt!"

"Yeah, so what about it, Mr. Prude," she playfully pulled at my hair.

"I am not a prude," I pouted. No pure minded, modest person would have the thoughts I had about Atem. I was such a teenager. "And he had his hand up your shirt. As your brother, I have a duty to cut it off."

I heard her laugh and Amane tilted my head back. I looked up at her and my sister smiled gently, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead.

"You're hilarious," she grinned.

"I'm completely serious," I kept a straight face. "I'm going to have to cut it off. If you keep up the hair combing thing, though, you're going to put me to sleep."

Amane kept giggling. I leaned back and rested my head on her shoulder, "Hey."

"Hmmm?"

"We good?"

"One more question," she said. "You said earlier that you'd kissed someone before. Who was it?"

I stiffened. Oh, I was so dead.

"Um...well, that is to say...Uh," I stuttered. "Please don't kill me for this."

"Why?" Amane sounded like she was grinding her teeth.

"Because it was sort of...well, it was -"

"Spit it out Ryou," she growled.

"It was Atem. Pleasedon'tokillme," I leapt away from her, hands in from of me in defense.

I couldn't see Amane's eyes through her hair, but I felt her anger all the way from the other side of the room, "When did this happen?"

"The night that Keith..." I trailed off, remembering that we had yet to really discuss what I did to her ex that night. "She said...said that I- "

"I thought you said you weren't together with her," she stood up menacingly.

"We're not. It was a mistake. I shouldn't have, I was just really confused that night. Really, Amane. That's what happened," I tried to explain.

"So you kissed her," she tried to understand. "You kissed the woman who is on the FBI's Wanted List. The woman who is accused of killing so many people, of doing so many illegal things -"

"Like you're one to talk," I said her words from earlier. "I'm not the only one keeping secrets, Amane. What about you and gh05twr1tt3r?"

Her jaw dropped, "M-me and...what? How did...you even find out about that?"

"When you hacked KaibaCorp's system a month and a half about, you made a name for yourself there. And I had to find out the hard way about your other secret life. How many illegal things have you done under that name, Amane? Who are you to comment on Atem's so-called crimes?"

"I'm not killing people, not like her!" Amane shouted, "I'm safe and Yugi Mutuo isn't. You shouldn't even be near her, let alone like her!"

"What does it matter to you who I like?" I snapped, before realizing just what I'd said. I'd admitted to my sister that I actually did like Atem. Oh god, this was just going to get worse from here on out, wasn't it? Yes. Yes, it would.

Her eyes were impossibly wide, "But...but you said that you didn't think she was pretty..."

"That was then," I mumbled. "This is now."

She let out a scream and ran out of my room. I heard the front door slam shut. I wanted to scream, too.

But instead I curled up underneath my desk again, swearing profusely at myself. Why? Why did things have to get so fucking complicated?

* * *

_Wednesday, March 1st, 2017_

It started off as an ordinary enough morning. There was nothing that would tip me off to the chaos that was going to eventually decent upon me. I slept through my alarm, so I had to rush a little through the morning shower. Toast was breakfast - no butter, I wouldn't risk it in front of dad. He'd probably think that feeding it to me would be a waist of food. He had the day off, so he was going to offer to drive Amane to school. Something about father-daughter time. I, on the other had, was to take the bus. Or run from roof to roof, moving faster than most cars.

Yeah, I was going to get there before them anyways. Losers.

But that was kind of common, though the last bit was only happening in the past few months since I became a student at Atlantis. I liked running free while using Combat magic. It was exciting beyond anything in the world.

It was finally starting to warm up, as spring was coming around the corner. I still wore my warm trench coat, though, because I liked that too.

So I had a few minutes to myself before I had to be anywhere for classes. I used that time to draw in my sketchbook, resting against the wall near the math classrooms. Principal Wainwright waddled in early, like he usually did. He ignored me as he passed me by, heading for the staff room no doubt to pig out on the sugary cookies stored there. His wife was trying to keep him on a regulated diet to help with his weight and he was cheating (in more ways than one).

It was amazing the kind of things that you learn when people don't realize that you're there. They shout out their deepest secrets, like how Ms. Madusa was only keeping her job because she regularly met with the principal for visits in shady motel rooms.

I was almost done the drawing before I realized what my hand was actually sketching onto the paper. I slammed the book shut, hiding Atem's solemn face from view. I really needed to control these feelings. They were getting too far out of hand.

The corridors were starting to fill up and students were lining the halls by their classrooms. Miho, one of Amane's on-and-off friends, fiddled with her fingers on the other wall. I nodded to her in greeting. She yelped and looked like she was going to faint. I sighed, cursed the Ward for the umpteenth time, and started glaring at the door to the classroom.

A group of laughing girls walked straight passed us, bumping into Miho without apologizing. The girl dropped the binder that she was holding and papers went everywhere. She muttered something in her own language and bent over to pick them up. I moved to help her.

When she saw me get to my feet, the first thing she did was jump back, terrified. I caught a few words of what she was saying, "I...sorry...no...hurt...please..."

I knelt and began to pick up some of the sheets, "It's alright. I won't harm you. Don't worry."

"Help, help," she gasped out, looking like she was on the verge of crying. "Don't...please, some person. Any person!"

She continued to stutter, looking around wildly for anyone to save her from me. But the voices to those girls from before, led by Tea Gardner herself, carried over from where they were standing.

"...such a FOB..."

It took me a few seconds to realize what had been said. FOB. Fresh off the boat. They were insulting Miho because she was a foreigner. Like me.

I then realized why Miho only hung out around Amane every so often. She wasn't one of the cool kids; she was just a girl that my sister was tutoring and teaching English. She was almost as low on the social ladder as I was. A fellow outcast.

English was not her strong point, I deduced from her fractured sentences. Maybe that was what made her so timid - her inability to understand what was being said all the time. But I could speak in any language that I wanted to. I could by-pass that barrier she had, even better than my sister (mom had been teaching her Japanese since she was able to walk).

I focused my magic on my tongue and thought _Japanese, Japanese, Japanese_.

"Watashi wa anata o kizutsukeru tsumori wa arimasen. I am not going to hurt you," I said. Her eyes widened, glued to me as I held out all the papers I collected. "Koko de, watashi wa korera ga anata no mono to shinjite. Here, I believe these are yours."

She took them with shaking hands, but Miho's eyes never left mine. My mouth twitched into a half-smile and she blurted out into rapid fire Japanese that I couldn't understand at all. I realized my roadblock: I could speak a language all I wanted, I just couldn't translate it back so that I could tell what was being said.

She asking about how you learned Japanese, Touzoku said from within my mind. She has an odd way of speaking, but I can understand it.

My previous incarnation was a lifesaver, both literally and metaphorically.

"Yūjin wa watashi ni sore o oshieta. A friend taught it to me," I explained.

There were some more words. Touzoku was silent for an instant and then said, I couldn't hear all of them. Ask her to repeat what she just said. I have an idea.

"Anata wa sore o kurikaesu ki ka? Watashi wa sore o subete rikai shite inai. Do you mind repeating that? I didn't understand all of it," I explained, hoping that I pulled off the 'Japanese as a Second Language' thing enough to fool her as - a shiver ran down my spine - Touzoku entered my Soul Room.

Miho said it again, speaking slowly so that I could supposedly catch all the words. I could feel Touzoku nod as he heard all of them, She is wondering if it was your sister, mother, or someone else who helped you to learn.

"Dare ka. Someone else."

Our math teacher came and unlocked the classroom door. Miho ducked her head down as she followed me into the room, purposefully sitting at the desk beside me. She smiled shyly in my direction, which I returned.

People began filing in. Tristan Taylor walked passed the pair of us and Miho glanced up at him. He ignored her, but her eyes followed him all the way to the back where he took his seat. Then she glanced back at me. I raised an eyebrow at her.

Miho was reduced to attempting the English language again, "No tell. Please, no tell."

I waved her off, silently telling her that I wasn't going to spill the beans to anyone that she had a crush on Taylor, of all people. Well, I guess he was better than Wheeler, but still pretty low on the list.

We stood for the anthem. Some of the girls in the back leaned against their desks, covertly trying to hide the headphones in their hair as to not draw attention to the fact that they were listening to their music. They didn't need to bother; our math teacher was too busy reading the newspaper to look at them.

I sat down when the song finished, sticking my hand in my bag and calling for my notes and pencils. The morning announcements cracked over the speaker system as the objects flew into my hand. Miho looked like she couldn't find anything to write with, so I offered her one. She looked at me strangely, but took it anyways.

The teacher was just starting his lesson when I felt it. It was a slight touch in my mind at first, as if someone was feeling around in the darkness for something. And then, seconds later, I was blasted by memories and thoughts that were not mine.

_I heard six gunshots, each in quick succession. I felt my chest explode while I tried to concentrate and use the last of my power to Teleport out. I had to make it to Seto and Mokuba (there was a flash of two sets of blue eyes) but the words "Come back to me" rang in my head and -_

_I was lying behind wooden steps - seats - and there was blood on the ground. My blood. And there was pain-pain-pain, please someone help me! BAKURA!_

I jolted back to reality, breathing hard and realizing what I'd just seen. Atem was lying behind the bleachers, bleeding profusely, and if I didn't get there soon she might die.

I grabbed my bag, standing up suddenly and making my way to the door. The teacher called out for me to sit down, but I ignored him. The moment I was in the stairwell, I leapt over the ledge and fell downwards from the third level to the first. I landed with a loud bang, the soles of my shoes smacking against the tile floor. I rushed out the side door, legs burning with Combat magic as I ran headfirst towards where I knew she would be.

I slid on my knees to a stop right in front of her prone form. Atem's eyes were closed, but she struggled to breathe as blood trickled from her lips. Her shirt, the same one I had seen her leave in, was dark and wet, with holes in the front. She'd been shot, multiple times by the look of it.

My hands shook, "Tou...Touzoku?"

I don't know what to do, he answered, sounding more unsure than I had ever heard him before. What are these shots you speak of? I've never...she can't die like this! I won't let her! This Crazy Girl has too much to do!

I heard the door to my Room open again and felt, to my utter shock, Game Master walk inside. He was followed by a rushing Thief King and a frantic Akeifa.

Damn it, landlord. Just let him possess you! Akeifa shouted.

Game Master coughed, I noticed when the boss brought me out to take care of his little problem in that class, my magic was weaker than it usually was. Surely you noticed as well when you did the same, Akeifa. It might not be enough...

He trailed off, but his unsaid words were loud and clear. Touzoku would not be able to heal Atem by himself.

I have a theory, Thief King said. I believe that if Touzoku were to touch the leader's spirit in here, than they would be able to combine their magical reserves together.

"What gives you that idea?" I whispered, pulling off my coat and bundling it up, placing it on Atem's chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She wheezed, crying out pitifully. It was now that I remembered her words to me the first time that we spoke.

She could die if I didn't help her; actually die. After twelve hundred years of not aging, she would pass away right here beside me and there had to be a way to stop that. Atem was not as immortal as people thought she was.

It doesn't matter! Just do it, Akeifa yelled, desperately wanting to save the woman that he had wanted to marry in life. Touzoku! Landlord! Please.

I felt something grip me, deep inside beyond anything physically part of my body. I could see fire erupting in my soul, demonic red flames that were both Touzoku's and mine, but the difference between us didn't matter any more. We were one and the same. The soul of the ancient samurai was encompassed by my own, fitting in smoothly like it was destined to. He was a piece of the giant puzzle known as Bakura.

And I knew what to do.

It was like nothing that I'd (we'd) ever experienced before with magic. It was unlike anything that, I (we) assumed, anyone had ever experienced. Over twenty years of Medicine (Healing) magic flowed through my (our) minds and the hands attached to this body began to move. The first thing I (we) did was remove the coat and cut Atem's already ruined shirt from her body. No fabric was going to go in her open wounds on my (our) watch. Besides, I'd (we'd) already seen was under it.

A memory surfaced of my (Touzoku's) tongue sliding over her stomach, across an old faded scar - that one right there that was more of a burn of some sort than a cut. I (Touzoku) wondered ideally whether my (his) wife was going to be looking for me (him) before I (he) became lost in Atem's moans.

I (We) forced the memory down and focused on the holes in her chest. Five bullets (arrowheads) were lodged in her torso, but I (we) remembered six shots. I (We) performed a quick diagnostic spell to search for any more foreign intrusions in her body and found that she had been shot in the knee as well.

My (Our) hands began to glow a steady demonic red as I (we) began to slowly push the first bullet (arrow head) out of Atem's body, healing the wounded tissue behind it. Touzoku (I) had healed her more times than he (I) cared to count, so he (I) knew what to do when I (we) encountered organs and bones.

I (We) repeated the process over and over again until all that was left of her injuries where faint scars. The removed bullets (arrow heads) were placed in my (our) pants pocket for safekeeping. Then I (we) moved to her leg, using my (our) knife to remove the fabric from the leg of her pants. Atem's kneecap was shattered, but it was no challenge to a great Healer (Medic) like Touzoku (me). I (we) rebuilt it, removing the bullet (arrow head) with now practiced ease.

There was no way to know how long I (we) sat there, healing her. It could have been minutes, hours, days for all I (we) knew. The fire in my (our) Soul Room never dimmed, nor did it flicker. It was burned constantly, higher than it did ordinarily.

Finally, I (we) Morphed (Shifted) as much of the blood that I (we) could find back into Atem's veins, before moving away. I felt Touzoku loosen his grip on my soul, enough so that I could tell the difference between the two of us again. However, as I looked down at my hands, I could still see the result of our connection.

There were red lines on my skin, like tattoos, five lines that followed the path of the bones in my hands and running back under my shirt. Out of curiosity, I lifted the hemline to see if they continued on the rest of my body. Sure enough, mimicking ribs and a spine, they were emblazoned across my chest.

"What are these?" I asked inwardly.

Touzoku seemed exhausted, I have no idea.

And then, more faintly this time, I slipped into another memory. It was not mine, not was it Touzoku's because he was unfamiliar with it, too. I couldn't really see much, but I felt angry and hurt more than anything I'd felt in my entire life. I wanted to yell and scream and rip apart the bastards who had done this, who had taken her from me! They would pay, starting with -

Touzoku let go of me, saying that he was feeling faint. It took both Akeifa and Game Master to carry him back to his Soul Room. Thief King stayed behind for a moment before saying, Please take care of her for me. If she died, the world would end.

And then he was gone as well. I looked down at Atem, before blushing, realizing that she was still topless. I turned away, opening my rucksack again and asking the void inside for a shirt. Out came the button up one that my sister had given me. I then understood that I would have to put it on her. Which meant touching.

Fuck. No, not fuck. Bad choice of words at this moment in time. I didn't want to think about that now.

I tried to keep my hands away from anything that would get my manhood removed if Atem ever found out about it. Really I did. Except, her...her...well, they were there and I might have brushed up against them a few times when I was putting her arm through a sleeve. At least, the buttons didn't give me grief. There was enough blood rushing to my cheeks as it was without anything being added to it. I wrapped her in my coat to keep her warm. She needed it more than I did.

I had to move her, get her away from this place. Atem wasn't safe here. What if the people who had done this to her found a way to track where she'd Teleported to? They'd find her and then they would really finish her off this time. There was only one place that I could guarantee her safety.

My room. My home, my sanctuary, my little piece of the world where I don't have to worry about anything.. Atem could stay there.

I picked her up, cradling her body in my arms. She was surprisingly small; her baggy clothing and impressive aura gave away the image that she was bigger than she actually was. It was her image that was larger than life, not her true body.

I noticed, as I got to my feet, that the lines on my skin were gone. It had returned to the familiar ghostly white shade that was completely tattoo free.

As soon as I was able to, I forced Combat magic into my legs. I was more tired than I realized; the full effects of the intense healing becoming apparent now that I was using magic again. My limbs felt like lead and I could barely keep my eyes open. I tried my hardest not to collapse and settled simply to walk all the way back once I got close enough.

My father's car was still in the driveway, so I had to sneak in the back where my bedroom window was located. I leapt onto the roof, setting Atem down on the flattest spot I could manage. I then Morphed the lock on my window open and, once she was in my arms again, jumped inside.

I could barely stand up, but I made my way over to the bed and placed Atem's limp body on it. I had missed some cuts on her pretty face and the bruises that were starting to colour her knuckles. A large chunk of her hair was missing while the other half formed a halo of black, red, and gold around her head.

She turned her head to the side and mumbled, "Seto...Mokuba..."

I lay down beside her, tracing her jawbone and allowing myself this one moment of weakness. I was dead on my feet and wanted to touch her face, to prove to myself that she was still alive. At this point, I really didn't care that I shouldn't like Atem the way I did. I was too haggard to give a damn.

"No," I whispered. "It's Bakura. Not Seto. Not Mokuba. Me. You came back to me, Atem. To _me_."

And then I closed my eyes, pulled her body close enough that I could smell the dirt and the grime on her, the charred remains of her hair, and the faintest smell of dried blood. I buried my nose in the crook of her neck and fell asleep.

* * *

_It was incredibly awkward being with Ix Chel, I discovered over the past year. It was mainly because we had to hide it - slave procreation was not allowed at the palace - but there was the familiar shivers that still ran down my spine when Atem did something particularly nice. Like smiling. Or touching my hand. Or breathing, for that matter._

_I couldn't believe that my mistress was now fifteen years old or that I was almost eighteen. Eighteen years was a long time when the people around you usually only lived to see thirty-five. King Acalan was a freak of nature, having reached forty years old and still remaining healthy._

_Ix Chel had yet to tell me how old she was, but I guessed that she was in her twenties. She was quite attractive, enough for me to spring an erection whenever we were together without having to imagine someone else. Long dark hair, fully filled out curves, and icy blue eyes made for a beautiful woman. She was all a man could ask for._

_And yet there were still moments when she seemed to take on another form. A smaller body, more stocky than luscious, with the painted marks of a warrior that blurred as she sweat. A body with powerful muscles, wild hair, and maroon eyes._

_There was one thing that I was thankful for Ix Chel for: she had yet to ask my why I sometimes called out the wrong name when we were having sex. I didn't want to face the embarrassment of having to explain my secret desire for Atem just yet._

_Atem knew, of course, about Ix Chel and I. She had walked in on us in the middle of one of our intimate moments a few months back. She refused to speak to me for a week afterwards and only then because we had sparred. That was around the time that she started accepting some of Dartz's advances. Bastard._

_The treaty was still in the process of negotiation and looked like it would remain that way for a while. Apparently, the Ancient King wanted to build a city for his people on Mayan lands. King Acalan, though he admired Dartz and respected him, was very hesitant about allowing him to do so. What would happen when the Ancients wanted to expand? What if they wanted to take more land for themselves? Having a country within a country was a terrible idea, in my mind, and for the first time in forever, King Acalan was thinking along the same lines that I was._

_I was so distracted by my own thoughts that I barely registered walking into Atem's rooms. I was carrying a bucket of hot water for her morning bath, wishing that the Ancients would just leave and go back to where ever they came from. I despised Dartz. His wife, Iona, was forever looking down on any other living creature that walked in front of her. And Ironheart frightened me a little bit. He always seemed to be watching me during ceremonies and other events when all the royals of both human and Ancient decent gathered together. However, of the three that I had to pick from, I minded him the least. Ironheart was kind enough to sometimes sneak me some extra food._

_"I've got your wat - sweet mother of Akhushtal!" I dropped the bucket and water splattered everywhere, but the indignity didn't register. Because the impossible was happening._

_Atem was wearing a dress. It was modest, unlike some of the King's favorite dancers who all wore outfits that could have been made of the same piece of cloth. The neckline wasn't low, but it was more than I knew she was comfortable with. And the skirts were cut so that I could see her legs from the side through an opening. I didn't know that they were that long. They just kept going up-up-up..._

_"Oh, Bakura!" She seemed a bit nervous, but covered it well, "I didn't hear you come in."_

_She had painted her face, not in the fierce lines of a warrior like she normally did, but with the bright colours of a lady. It accented her eyes, her cheekbones, and her lips. I continued to stare blatantly._

_"Is something wrong?" Atem asked, "I know that it looks weird, but my father told me to wear it for the banquet in two weeks time. I'm practicing so that I can walk around without looking completely inexperienced, though I feel like a llama dressed as a jaguar."_

_"You are wearing a dress," my mouth seemed to finally catch up with my brain. "An actual dress."_

_"Yes, sadly," she scowled. "I despise dresses. They should all be burned. Oh, right! I almost forgot," she spun on the spot (my world seemed to tip as her skirts parted just enough that I could see she had painted rings around her thighs - all the way around), turning away from me to bend over - oh... - and reach for a package on the ground._

_"These are yours. It's formal wear for slaves," Atem explained. "Here, you'll probably look better in it than I do in this old thing."_

_"You look beautiful," I let the words slip from my lips. She stopped dead. I was still looking at her, unable to peel my eyes from her form._

_She blushed, turning her head away from me, "You shouldn't say such things. What would happen if your lady friend were to hear you?"_

_"It's the truth. And if Ix Chel gets jealous..." I shrugged, "Well, she will just have to deal with it."_

_I took a step forward, though I didn't know why. Atem look back at me, cheeks red with...something. Something that I liked very much. I wondered just how far down her blush went. I wanted to find out._

_"You're wet," she mumbled._

_"It was a bit of a surprise, seeing you like this," my voice cracked, not unlike it had after I developed my god power. "I'm not complaining, though."_

_"You...y-you should change," she stuttered. "Here. Try on your new clothes. See if they fit."_

_I took another step forwards, suddenly feeling a bit breathless. Change? Changing meant stripping. Was Atem that eager to get my clothes off?_

_She gasped, "I - I never! Bakura, why would you...even suggest that sort of thing?"_

_Fuck. I'd said the last line out loud._

_"It was just a joke," I stumbled through my cover-up. "Of course, you wouldn't. I'm a slave.. You're a princess. Nothing could -"_

_"- Ever happen between us," Atem finished. "Yes."_

_"Yes."_

_A silence fell between the pair of us, so thick that I could have cut it with my knife. My hands trembled as I stepped forward and took the package from her hands._

_"I'll go change in the other room," I said shakily. "Behind a curtain."_

_"That is acceptable," she responded, as a proper mistress would to her slave._

_But just before I stepped out of her bedchamber, I looked back at her once more._

_"You really do look beautiful. Dartz is..." I forced the words out of my mouth, "Dartz is a lucky man."_

_Atem fingered the cord that ran around her neck, holding a pendant that I couldn't see as it dipped behind the neckline of her dress. She stared at me, long and hard like she was resolving herself before going into battle. Her eyes dipped below my face for a second and then back up into my eyes, "Thank you, Bakura."_

_As I tugged the wet clothing from my body, I would wonder why she had been staring so intently at my neck._

* * *

When I awoke, I noticed that something was shoved up my nose. It was uncomfortable, not in a painful way, but in a ticklish 'It's going to make me sneeze' way. I tried to move away without opening my eyes or swatting at it, but something large and incredibly warm kept me in place. I groaned in annoyance.

The thing growled back.

My eye flew open as I remembered just what had happened earlier today. Dislodging Atem's hair from inside my nose, I tried to squirm out of the death grip she had on my body, but to no success. I was forced to lay in my bed next to the girl of my dreams - both literally and in a cheesy romantic way.

I blamed karma. All the crap-ass things that my previous incarnations had done while alive were responsible for this moment of torture right now. Damn you, karma. You truly are a bitch and I hate you.

"Atem," I whispered. "Let go."

She snuggled closer, muttering something under her breath.

"Atem. I know you're awake. Stop it and let me go."

Still nothing. I decided to get devious. I poked her. She grunted, opened a single eye, and growled like a very pissed off tiger.

"Let go."

She looked at me strangely, like she was trying to figure something incredibly complex out. Then she opened her mouth and I understood what was wrong. Atem was running bone dry on magic. Her translation spell had failed. She couldn't speak or understand English right now.

She was saying something in Mayan, but I had no idea what it was. I was able to pick up on a few words. "Seto," she kept mentioning. Either him or Mokuba.

"No, Bakura. Me," I said. "You came here to me."

She frowned and looked up at me. Then her eyes widened as she realized our position and leapt backwards. Or, at least, she tried to.

My bed was really only made for one person and Atem appeared to be very ungraceful when she was low on magic. She rolled right off and onto the floor. She made a loud thump and I remembered that I wasn't the only one home right now. What if dad had heard?

Heck, I thought as I looked at my alarm clock which told me that it was almost four thirty in the afternoon, what if Amane heard? She would be coming home any minute now. As Atem attempted to stand on legs of jelly, I ran towards my door and locked it, swaying on the spot. I wasn't exactly one hundred percent either, it seemed.

She braced herself against the wall, knees shaking with exhaustion. She looked at me and said, "Seto."

"Kaiba's not here," I was starting to get a little frustrated. Atem had come to me – me – in her time of need. That meant something. Why did she keep asking for her...oh.

She hadn't meant to come here. It was an accident that she ended up behind the bleachers of my school. She was trying to get back to KaibaCorp and they were probably expecting her to check in with them or something. I nodded to her, telling her that I understood. Atem's shoulders sagged with relief. I helped her, with unsteady hands, to sit back on my bed. As I dug my phone out of my pocket, she leaned over and placed her head in her hands.

In the contact list, there was a direct line to Seto Kaiba's office phone. I dialed it and listened to it ring once, twice, thr-

"Seto Kaiba's office. Kisara Bleu speaking," said the voice on the other end. Kisara was usually incredibly calm and sweet, but I could hear how stressed she over the phone.

"Kisara, it's Bakura," I said. "I have Atem."

There was a gasping sound, "You have...? She's with you? Oh, thank god! Stay on the line."

I heard the thumping of her running, the slam of a quickly opened door hitting a wall, and the muffled yell of, "We've got a location!"

The phone must have changed hands and a voice I was unfamiliar with came through the microphone, "Hello, this is Mokuba Kaiba."

"H-hello, sir," I stammered, not knowing how to address such a prominent political figure. "I have -"

"Don't say her name," he explained quickly. "We don't know if these lines are completely safe. Noah is good, but you can never be too paranoid, not at a time like this. Look, I need you to do me a huge favor, kid. You're the only person who could pull this off right now."

"Sure, anything," I said, liking the confidence he had in me. Mokuba Kaiba seemed a lot nicer than his older brother.

"I need you to keep her where you are," he explained. "We're being watched here and probably will be for a while. They haven't figured out your location, so you should be safe. They wouldn't expect her to go to a student's house at a time like this, especially since they haven't figured out who you are yet."

"Sir?" I asked. He seemed to be rambling.

"Never mind me. Keep her safe. I'll tell my brother what's going on."

"Sir, can I ask you something?" I paused, "Where was she that this happened to her?"

"You mean you haven't seen...?" He sounded astonished, "Well, it'll be all over the networks. If you can't check out ZTV News right now, it'll be in the headlines of tomorrow's paper." He stopped, took a breath, and spoke again; sounding worried "How is she?"

I glanced over at Atem, remembering that she was the adoptive mother of the man I was currently speaking to. She had taken him and his older brother in when no one else had cared about them. He had every reason to be worried about her.

"She's fine," I told him. "Completely worn out, though. Can't even speak a word of English right now. But other than that, she's alright."

"Thank god," he mumbled. "Look, when she recovered enough, she can come back with you to the school. We should be in the clear by then. Take care of her, kid."

"Yes, sir," I resisted the urge to salute.

"Good-bye, and remember to vote for me in the next election," he hung up.

I frowned at the phone, "But I'm too young to vote..."

I shoved my phone back in my pocket, moving over to where Atem was. When I sat beside her, she didn't look up, so I touched her shoulder. She flinched and raised her head just enough to look at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"I talked with Mokuba," I said slowly, putting an emphasis on the name of her youngest son. She nodded, probably only catching the last word but being able to draw some form of conclusion, "He said that you," I pointed at her, "should stay here," I pointed to the floor, "for a while."

Atem blinked slowly, before nodding again and slumping back down in defeat. She looked so sad and tired and old, I didn't want her to look like that. I put my hand on her knee, shaking it a little with the quakes that wracked my body. She shoved my hand away and turned her back to me.

"Atem? What's wrong?" I asked, pleading with her for something - anything, "Don't shut me out. Let me help you."

And then her shoulders started to shake. Her whole body shivered and trembled in a way that had nothing to do with being almost out of magic. I heard a strangled gasp of air and realized that she was crying. Atem was crying.

It was one thing to deal with my sister when she was like this. It was another thing entirely to deal with Atem. It was more difficult, probably originating from the fact that I fancied her, to handle the sight of her tears and remain calm. I desperately wanted to do anything to make her stop.

I tried to turn her so that she was facing me, but Atem shook me off each and every time. Her yells were incomprehensible; I thought that some of them weren't in any language at all, but the growls and moans that came with extreme sadness.

Finally, she withered, surrendering, and let me pull her arms away from her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and watery. She looked ashamed of what she was doing. I sighed, smiling slightly at her childishness - because, really, she was twelve hundred years old; she was entitled to have a bit of a breakdown every so often - and wrapped her in my arms again.

Atem gripped at my shirt, babbling away in Mayan and sobbing her heart out. I nodded my head whenever there was a lull in her speech, pretending like I understood because maybe that was the best thing to do right now. Something told me that she didn't want to see me. What Atem really needed was to be able to imagine that she was with my slave self, the first me that wasn't in any of the rooms. The slave who I resembled so perfectly that maybe, just maybe, it would make it easier for her to pretend.

I hated the fact that it wasn't me that she believed she was clinging to. I wanted it to be me. I really, really did. But I was also willing to out my own needs aside for Atem, just for this moment. I wasn't the one in pain right now.

She quieted down eventually, nuzzling closer to me but not me. I breathed in her scent and pretended it was me that she liked. She pulled back, wiping her eyes, and mumbling what I took to be an apology. I reached for her hand, entangling my fingers with her's, "It's alright."

She was still tired, judging by the dark bags under her eyes. Hungry, too, according to the grumbling in her stomach. She looked down, embarrassed. I chuckled, feeling up to a meal as well.

"Atem?" I brought her attention back to me, "Um...I'm," I pointed to myself, "going to get," I motioned grabbing, "some food," I mimed eating, "for you," I pointed to her. She bit her lip, nodding again, mumbling in her language.

I stood, pulling away reluctantly and unlocking my door. I opened it just a crack to check for anyone or anything in the corridor. Nothing. I opened it a little wider, just enough for me to slip through, and then used magic to seal the door behind me. I stumbled down the stairs, that little spell having taken a toll on me, and into the kitchen. I hoped that there would be some leftovers in the fridge.

The tele in sitting room was on and I could hear it through the open doorway. I grabbed a tucker wear container filled with corn salad and what looked like leftover fried rice. I rummaged in the drawers for a pair of forks, pausing to hear what was being said on the news.

"Our top story this afternoon is the attack on the White House that occurred early this morning," ZTV's male anchor, Archie Cooper, said, making me almost jump out of my skin. Attack? Oh shit, please don't let this be what Mokuba Kaiba was talking about. I ducked around the corner and watched over the heads of Amane and my parents, "While federal authorities are still investigating the incident, it was believed that an explosive of some kind was detonated around 8:15am in a room near the Oval Office."

A video was streamed onto the screen. It showed the most famous of American building with smoke billowing out of open of the windows. I felt like I swallowed a freaking watermelon. Crap, that wasn't good at all.

"This just in!" Said the attractive woman who next to Cooper, "The FBI have released information about the suspect that they are looking for." Atem's mug shot was splashed on the side of the tele, "Yugi Mutuo, accused of the murder of several individuals and at least three kidnappings, was seen entering the facility shortly before the electricity was cut to the White House's main systems. She is described as armed and extremely dangerous. If you see her, please contact the FBI by dropping a tip online or calling them at the Washington location at..."

They listed a long number that I didn't care to remember. I couldn't remember how to breathe at this moment.

"It has been confirmed that the President was not injured in the attack. In a press release, where he spoke out to the nation, President von Schroeder said that he was in fact not the target of Yugi Mutuo's siege, though it is unknown what exactly she was looking for," said Cooper. "We now go live to the scene with..."

I stepped back into the kitchen and back up the stairs with the food and cutlery, wondering exactly what Atem had gone into the White freaking House for. When I unlocked the door to my room, I found that she was looking through my book collection. She had picked up _The Mists of Avalon_ by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which I found ironic considering that it was the telling of the Arthurian legend from the view point of Morgaine, another name for Morgan la Fay. Atem was looking intently at the first page. I wondered if she had a spell to translating words or if she was actually reading.

She looked up as I came in. I offered her a fork and began to open up the two containers. Atem's eyes lit up at the sight of the corn, pointing eagerly at it and speaking in her language. I handed it to her and started to scoop up the rice in abandon. I wasn't just hungry, I was starving. It turned out that merging with Touzoku and then proceeding to remove bullets from someone's torso really used up a lot of magic.

Bullets...oh, that's right! I pulled the small metal rounds out of my pocket and showed them to her. Atem nearly choked on a bite of salad when she saw them, head jerking back and forth between my face - mine - and the objects in my hand, silently asking how the hell I did it.

"Later," I told her, jerking my head to the side as I climbed back onto the bed with her. "When you can understand me."

Atem gave me a look that basically called me an idiot (that was almost a pet name she had for me) and poked me in the arm with her fork. I rolled my eyes at her, not understanding her at all but having fun anyways.

I'd grill her about the stuff on the news later, in exchange for how I got the bullets out of her. I'd ask about the weird lines and the fact that while Necromancer weren't supposed to be able to use the spirits of Others, I could have my previous magical incarnations possess me in weird and interesting ways.

She fell asleep again not long after, curled up against my side and looking too comfortable for me to try and move her. My hand gravitated to her hair and I played with the charred ends that somehow had taken on her trademark red tips. It was relaxing as hell and my eyelids started drooping again.

My alarm clock, which told me that I was going to enter dreamland at the record time of 6:28 pm, was the last thing I saw before the morning light of tomorrow.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank the people who reviewed for the last chapter: Malik'sStalker, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele-, Coolaloo, Akikee, AsianWolf, and YamixSetoFanatic94. You are all really amazing.**

**So...yeah. I think that this chapter can pretty much be described as 'I really didn't see that coming.' Basically, Atem is someone blown something up in the White House and landed herself the spot of Most Wanted in the entire country. And to top it all off, Bakura is hiding her in his room.**

**And then there was the weird lines on his body. If you want a little more information on them, read The Immortal: The Walking Stick. There's a bit more information, but their purpose will remain a mystery for a while.**

**Also, I just want to announce this: The Others: The First Year currently has 99 reviews. Seeing as this chapter will probably break the 100 mark, I wanted to thank you all for sticking with me for so long. Its been a blast the past year and I'm so happy that I got to talk with so many of you. If it weren't for all of you, I doubt I would have made it past the fourth chapter.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	23. Where Are My Clothes

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 23: Where Are My Clothes?**

_Thursday, March 2nd, 2017_

Despite being the most wanted people in the country right now, the oldest being on the face of the earth, and one of the most powerful Others in all of existence, Atem liked to cuddle.

It was one thing when Amane decided to get a little clingy. That was cute and sweet and reminiscent of times long since passed. But when Atem chose to hug the living crap out of my torso while she slept, it made me want to laugh. She was supposed to be tough and independent. And somehow, I had turned into her teddy bear. She was like a kitten. An adorable little kitten.

Of course, my alarm clock determined that it was the best time to start blaring some outrageously loud beeping sound, completely ruining the moment. Atem's eyes flew open as she leapt a foot in the air, waving her hand in the direction of the device. There was a soft thunk as a knife hit it, causing it to sputter and die. She landed on all fours, catlike and hissing between her teeth.

The Immortal just killed my alarm clock. Oh, it was going to be one of those days, wasn't it?

"I take it you're feeling better?" I commented sarcastically. Great, now I had to go get a replacement and I had no money to buy one.

Her eyes snapped to me and they were colder than anything I'd seen before. In a burst of speed, she'd tackled me back into my bed and sat on my chest. She pulled another knife out of nowhere and held it to my neck. I blanched.

"The first time I saw you," she growled. "When was it? The very first time?"

"Are you crazy?" I yelled at her, "What the hell are you-"

"Answer me!" She grabbed at my hair and pulled my head back, exposing my throat even more.

"You walked in with Kaiba the day before - wait, shit! No, I didn't mean that!" I panicked as the look on her face went from fierce to deadly. I realized my mistake, "No, that was the first time I saw you in this life. The very first time you saw me was when you were five. I saved your life."

Atem's face relaxed as she let out a sigh of relief. She lowered her knife and got off of me, "I apologize for that. I had to check. I've had enough trouble with Shape Shifters and Creators in my time not to. If I hadn't been so out of it yesterday, I would have done it then."

"Great, so you should have tried to kill me sooner rather than later. You owe me a new alarm clock, by the way," I grumbled.

She glanced over at the sparking remains on my desk, "Why would someone put an alarm in a clock?"

"To wake you up at a specific time," I answered, then asked a question of my own. "Dartz was a Creator. Did you ever have trouble with him?"

Atem stiffened, "Dartz...that is a name that I haven't heard in a very long time." She turned to me, "Dartz is dead."

"I figured that much. It would take a miracle to have him survive over a thousand years," I hesitated for a second. "Did you marry him?"

"No, I didn't," she snapped. "I killed that bastard."

Okay, that was not the answer I was expecting, "What?"

"I killed him, Bakura. Ripped his still beating heart from his body and tore him limb from limb," Atem's face seemed too twisted, too brutal to be true. "There was not much left when I was done with him. And he deserved what he got, after what he did."

"What did he do?" My voice wasn't much more than a whisper.

She looked me dead in the eye, "He took someone from me. He had to die for that. He had to die for what he did."

Atem stood up and walked towards my window, "You said something about Mokuba...that I was to stay here..."

"Yeah, that's what he said. Apparently KaibaCorp is being watched and it's not safe for you to return. When you get better, we can go back together for classes," I told her.

"I can't do that," Atem said. "I made a mistake coming here. I should leave while I can still correct this."

She turned to open the window. I moved across the room, body humming with Combat magic, and blocked her attempt, "Mokuba said for you to stay here. With me. That it would be the last place they would expect you to be."

"I'm too dangerous right now. I should never have..." She started to curse at herself, "Damn it, you're better than this. You can't mess up."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Atem."

"I can't!" She yelled at me, "I can't afford to make stupid errors like this. People - good people - die when I botch something. I can't let that happen to you. Not again."

She tried to push me away, but there was no strength in her arms. I sighed, "You're not back at full power yet. How long do you think you'll last out there like this?"

"What happens to me doesn't matter. I can't loose you, not after I've just gotten you back," Atem tried to hit me again, but I stopped her.

"You matter to me," I told her. "If something happened to you and I could have done something to stop it, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Besides," I threw her a quirky grin, "if you can't fend me off, there's no way you're going to be able to hold off whoever's after you. And here I was thinking that you were the smart one."

She pulled away, "Damn you, Bakura. Why do you have to make sense so often?"

"It's a gift. Ah-ha!" I pointed out her slight grin, "There's that look I was searching for."

"What look? The 'Bakura, you're being a stupid idiot again' look?"

"A stupid idiot that makes sense a lot, thank you very much," I felt like I was flirting with her. I wondered if it was working.

Someone knocked at my door. I thought I must have created a vacuum in my room from all the air I inhaled then.

"Ryou, your door's locked. Open up," Amane yelled from the other side. All the blood in my face left very quickly.

"Hide," I mouthed to Atem, before shouting at my sister. "Give me a minute. I'm getting dressed for school."

"School's closed," she yelled back.

"What?" I asked, pulling off my shirt in an attempt to make it look like I was in the process of my morning routine. Atem disappeared under my bed. I opened the door a crack, "Why?"

"Haven't you heard anything?" Amane huffed, shoving the newspaper at me, "Your girlfriend's been busy blowing stuff up."

I could see the headline from here, "ATTACK ON THE WHITEHOUSE: Who is Yugi Mutuo?."

"They closed the schools in case of further bombings," she explained. "They want to protect the nations children, according to the press release. Let me in. I want to talk."

"Not now," I tried to shut her out of my room.

"Ryou, something wrong!" She stuck her foot in the doorway, "The FBI's changed Yugi's profile. Now all the dates are in our lifetime. And there's something else to! So opened the bloody door."

"I'm changing," I tried to stress my unwillingness on her.

"I've seen your junk before. Let me in, Ryou! I don't want to say this outside where dad can hear me," she hissed, pushing against the door with all of her weight. I stumbled backwards, more out of surprise at the bluntness of her words - when, aside from when we were brats, had she seen me naked? Amane stomped into the room.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" She planted her hands on her hips in defiance.

"What do you mean, you've seen my..." I clammed up. This was so going to be one of those days.

She blushed, "Ah...well, um...it was a year ago. Tea sent me some of the pictures."

"What pictures...oh," I couldn't look at her. Those pictures.

Remember how Devlin, back when he was a real asshole, and his friends decided to duct tape me to a pole naked? Tea Gardner solidified her position in my mind as the Bitch of Domino High when she decided to snap a few photos on her phone and send them to everyone on her call list. And everyone apparently included Amane.

Yeah. Awkward moment.

"But...Uh, that's not important right now," Amane stuttered back to her original subject of discussion. "The site I showed you before was taken down."

""Who Is Yugi Mutuo?'" I asked, "What about it?"

"Well, taken down is probably the wrong term. It was more like it was erased," she explained. "Same thing with every other site I found about her. Gone. Like they never existed in the first place."

"I don't get it. Why's that so important that you had to smash my door open to tell me?"

"Don't you know anything about the Internet? Let me break it down for you then," Amane went into full lecture mode. That was something I'd only seen when she did presentations for class projects, "Posting something on the Internet is like making a thousand real life photo copies of it and leaving them in the middle of Time's Square for anyone to take. Once it's up there, it's there forever because someone will tag it or repost it or link their page to it the moment it comes up.

"But," she continued, "everything - and I mean everything - about Yugi Mutuo is gone. That's supposed to be impossible. It was like she was simply removed from the Internet. Every single page except her FBI profile on the Wanted List. Who could have the resources to pull something like that off? It would take massive amounts of international cooperation to do that. What's going on - wait a second…"

She stopped, staring at my desk like she'd never noticed it before. I raised an eyebrow, "What now?"

"Two forks," Amane pointed at the - oh shit. The food containers from last night. Two forks meant that there had been two people eating a meal up here. At least, that's what it meant to my sister and her ability to jump to conclusions. All the right conclusions. All the time.

I tried to give her an answer, but she turned away and scouted the rest of my room, "Why is your alarm clock smoking?"

"I hate mornings. It woke me up," I bullshitted my answer so badly.

"So you stabbed it?"

"...Yes."

"Where'd you get the knife?"

Shit.

Amane's eyes travelled around the room one last time before they became glued to my bed. She shook her head twice, as if denying something. Her mouth flapped, but no words came out.

"I think you should leave," I grabbed her shoulder, attempting to move her. But a twisting in my stomach kept me in place.

"There's another thing," she whispered. "You keep trying to get me to leave. Like you've got something to hide."

"Amane," my voice took a threatening tone, "Back off - arg!" The twisting in my stomach became a stabbing pain. It was like that feeling I got when I was at that party. It was like the feeling I got the night I killed Bandit Keith.

**'STOP**,' a voice thundered through-out the room, but I seemed to be the only one that could hear it. It was as if a thousand million people were speaking at once; an impossible voice. A god's voice, '**LET HER SEE. SHE MUST KNOW.**'

Amane took a step towards my bed, "You wouldn't have the balls to do what I think you've done."

I swallowed hard, knowing that if either of the Kaiba brothers found out what I was about to do, they would kill me stone cold dead.

"I thought you said you'd already seen my junk," I muttered. "Of course, I could do that."

My sister didn't look back at me, but her eyes were so wide that she must have been running the risk of having them fall out of her head. She knelt down and looked underneath my bed.

"Oh, hello," Atem's voice came from underneath. I could tell she was not impressed. She rarely used sarcasm. "Fancy meeting you here."

Amane fainted. It was probably the only thing she could have done in this situation.

Atem reappeared from her hiding spot, "Bakura, you better have a good explanation for this."

"Would you believe divine intervention?" I threw out my only card.

"No."

"Fuck."

I hate it when it is one of those days.

* * *

I've mentioned it before, but Magic is a living creature. He isn't a being in the sense that he has a single body, but in the sense that it has a consciousness. It is every much alive and, most of all, aware of everything.

There is a little bit of magic in everybody - even in Normals. It is literally our life force, the very thing that makes us move, talk, and breathe. Without him, the earth would be a cold, desolate hunk of rock. Nothing more, nothing less.

That begs the question: if Normals have access to magic, why can't they use it? It has to do with the shade of magic you are given. Remember how I said that Other's eyes are oddly coloured? You've probably noticed by now that that colour matches the fire in our souls - the literal colour of our magic. And just like some shades of light remain invisible to the human eye, some shades of magic are simply unusable by human hands.

But the point I am trying to make is that every living thing can hear the voice of Magic. The voice that sounds as if the entire world is shouting in your mind. It is frightening and amazing all in one. And it is very hard to say no to the guy.

That's why Magic is often thought of as the voice of God. Atem believes that Magic is in fact all the gods of her people speaking together at once. I don't believe that. I think that Magic and God are one and the same. And considering that he's essentially my brother-in-law, I think that I've got a better idea of his general existence than most people, save Amane.

That is not to say, of course, I believe that the many religions of the world are wrong in any way. No, in fact I believe that they are correct - all of them. They are all similar stories based on this very real being. Either way, that's just my interpretation. You are free to your own.

There is also a saying, however, that if you believe in one, you must believe in the other. That is to say, if you believe in a benevolent god-figure, it is likely that you believe in a malevolent one. If you were to ask me if I believed in the Devil, I would say yes. Because I've seen her before. I've stared evil down once and she is more frightening than anything a religious text could prepare you for.

The temptation is there, always, to join her side. There is the promise of power, of strength, and a very warped brand of justice that a lot of Others started to believe in during the time before the War. But they were just empty words, meant to disguise her true purpose. Even _he_ was deceived, thinking that there would be a new world order if _he_ could bring humanity to its knees.

We all believed that we knew what we were going up against, what she wanted and what she needed. We were wrong.

What she wants is to destroy Magic and send us all into the void within her body. We had to stop her, for everyone.

* * *

"Ryou, dad is a cop."

"I know."

"As in an enforcer of the law. Bound by duty to protect and serve the people."

"I know."

"So why - why - do you think it is a good idea to hide a fugitive in your bedroom? Because it sounds like a pretty stupid idea to me."

"...I know," I seemed to be saying those two words a lot lately.

"If it makes you feel better," Atem decided to add in her two cents, "I believe it is a stupid idea as well and I am very willing to leave right now."

"You are not leaving. I am under order by..." I glanced from Atem to Amane and then back to my teacher, rephrasing my words, "...the higher ups not to let you go."

My sister rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I'm not dumb, Ryou. Which one was it: Seto or Mokuba Kaiba?"

"Mokuba."

"Atem! You're not helping!" I hissed at her.

Amane had woken up about fifteen minutes after her fainting incident. I had taken that time to explain the mysterious voice to Atem. She had looked shocked at first and then stared to stare intently at my sister. It was kind of creepy.

Of course, it hadn't helped that Amane had opened her eyes while Atem was still doing that. Much screaming ensued. I was really surprised that no one from downstairs had come up to check on us yet. Usually one of our parents would have at least come up to ensure that I wasn't murdering my sister or anything.

"How did you figure out that they were involved?" Atem asked, leaning forwards in interest.

My sister scoffed, "Please, it's not that hard to put it together. KaibaCorp runs Atlantis. You work at Atlantis. Ryou mentioned higher ups. I'm not an idiot."

"I like your sister," Atem told me. "She's very good."

"Thanks, I guess," I mumbled into my hands as I slumped forwards into them, attempting to hide my face.

Amane pushed herself off the wall where she was leaning, standing between Atem and me like a barrier. It seemed almost comical, since I knew that Atem could probably take us both apart without breaking a sweat.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't turn you over right now," she threatened.

"Aside from the fact that your brother will be arrested and most likely secretly executed for aiding and abetting a known terrorist?" Atem said off handedly, like she was mentioning that the weather was finally warming up again. "You're curious about me, Amane Bakura. Almost as curious as I am about you. You want to find out just who and what I am."

My sister flinched, but held her ground, "The whole country is looking for you. The FBI and the CIA and Homeland Security. Then there are the international groups like MI6 and the other counter terrorism organizations. Everyone's looking and your standing right here in front of me."

"They are not looking for me. It is the people who control them that are using them to find me," Atem corrected.

"There is no single group that runs all those organizations," Amane sounded frustrated. That's when I realized what exactly had been said.

"Atem didn't say 'run.' Atem said 'control.' Like they're being used without their knowledge," I looked up at my Necromancy teacher. "Some kind of force or group. Something you've been fighting for a long time, I presume."

"Almost all of my life," she said, sighing.

"You don't look very old," Amane tossed out there, sounding like she was baiting us to reveal more. I remembered the forum that she showed me a while back - the one with the theory about Atem being immortal. I guessed that she wanted us to prove it right or wrong.

"I am so old that I am surprised my bones don't creak with every step," Atem joked. I snorted. What? She was ancient.

"Amane, you can't turn Atem in," I tried to reason with her.

"Why not?" She growled back.

"Because...because you just can't, alright. Because, knowing Kaiba, he's probably release information to the FBI about who you are. You know, gh05twr1tt3r and everything. And I really don't want to have to break you out of prison from prison," I pleaded.

She was actually taken aback by that answer, "You'd break me out?"

"Yeah, duh," I thought that would be obvious.

"May I ask: what happens to me in this scenario?" Atem asked jokingly.

"You could quite easily turn any form of jail cell into saw dust in less than a minute. You could break out all on your own," I rolled my eyes at The Immortal.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," she turned her head to the side, looking at me with that burning gaze that made my insides do funny things. I fought to keep the blush off my face.

Amane narrowed her eyes at me, stomping forward and stood inside Atem's personal bubble. The older woman didn't move, not even a twitch. She looked almost soft, as if she was trying not to be frightening. I could tell from her expression that she liked my sister, as crazy as that sounded.

"Why are you wearing Ryou's shirt?" Amane spat.

Atem blinked, confused, "I'm what?" She looked down, eyes widening as she noticed, "Bakura! Where are my clothes?"

Crap. I really hated my life at that moment, "You had five bullets in your chest. I had to get rid of them."

Amane's jaw dropped. Atem put her hands on her hips, "I know that I was injured. But why am I wearing something that is clearly not mine?"

"Fabric in your wounds would have been really bad," I mumbled.

"How do you know how to surgically remove bullets?" Amane gaped, "That's...that's totally different from bruises..."

"That's a fair question, actually. Ishizu hasn't taught anything like that this year," Atem frowned.

As my sister sputtered something about me learning how to...to...that's just crazy, I whined pathetically, knowing that it would be almost impossible to reveal what I had done to Atem in front of Amane without talking about magic. I ground my teeth and tugged at my hair.

"Touzoku told me...well, sort of...we were thinking along the same lines - the exact same lines - at the moment and we kind of...healed you together," I tried to explain.

"Who's Touzoku?" My sister questioned.

"A friend. I think," I told her.

"You think?"

"Touzoku was - is - a good man," Atem said with sad eyes. "I met him many years ago. He was a good healer. A good father."

"He had children?" My gaze snapped to her. What if - no. I mean, they were lovers and everything, but neither of them had mentioned anything about children. "Where they yours?"

Maroon eyes hardened as she bit her lip, "No, his sons belonged to his wife, Rica Mastumoto. I am..." she gripped her stomach through my shirt, "I am unable to have children."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. Unable? Atem couldn't have kids? She was barren like her father was?

"I'm so sorry." Surprisingly, it wasn't me who said that. Amane clasped her hands in front of her mouth, staring at Atem with a look of utmost sympathy. The other woman smiled sadly.

"It's been a long time since I lost that ability. I am mostly over it. Besides, there are some benefits," she grinned cheekily. "At least I don't bleed like a stuck pig each month. That's something that I do not miss."

To my surprise, my sister snorted. Then, realizing what she just did, she turned away, embarrassed. I felt a little elated, knowing that there was a possibility that they could get along. That would be better than having at each other's throats all the time.

"Still, that's - no, wait. I am not falling for this!" Amane turned on me, "Bullets. How? How is that possible?"

I groaned, looking at Atem for help. She frowned, sighing, "Amane, could you do me a favour?"

"What? Why would I help you?"

"It's nothing much. I was just wondering if you could give me a haircut," Atem touched her burned locks. "It's a little haphazard at the moment."

She looked incredulous, "You want me to...cut your hair?"

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind. I'd leave after that, but I doubt that your brother would allow that," Atem shot me a look.

"Don't even think about it," I told her.

"See what I mean," she huffed. My sister did her best imitation of a fish.

"I - I don't...Why would...argh!" She threw her hands up in frustration. She rounded on Atem, poking her in the chest with her finger, "If he won't explain what's going on, you will."

"I will. Not all of it, because that would be too long a tale. We'd be here forever," Amane squawked at her refusal, but Atem continued on. "But I will answer your questions and hopefully you will understand why Bakura couldn't tell you."

Amane stood still for several seconds before deciding that this was a fair trade. She glared at Atem one more time before exiting my room. I fell back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

"What in the world are you thinking?" I snapped, not even looking at her. Atem sat down beside me.

"I'm testing out a theory of mine," she said. "If I could prove it, it would revolutionize the way that magic is thought to exist. I'm very interested in your sister. She is completely unnecessary and yet she exists anyways."

"What are you talking about now? How is my sister 'unnecessary'?" I turned on my side, looking up at her. She tilted her head back so we could make eye contact.

"None of the others had twins, except for the original and she died young. He never really talked about her," Atem's voice seemed to constrict when she talked about the first version of me. "So why would magic create her...unless it was to create a perfect replica of Bakura's original family? No, that can't be it..."

"But why tell her about...us? Others? Can't we just wipe her mind of everything she saw today? Wouldn't that be safer?"

Atem flopped down beside me, "You mean you haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?" I seemed to be asking a lot of questions today.

"Haven't you tried to read her mind with Enchantment?"

"No, I..." I rolled over, embarrassed, "I can't do Enchantment to save my life."

She grabbed at my shoulder and flipped me back to face her. As she leaned over my body (oh...my...god), the ends of her hair tickled my nose.

"You can't use Enchantment?"

"No," I hope I didn't sound as strangled as I thought I did.

"At all?"

"Nothing."

My heart thundered as she leaned in closer.

"Do you know how rare it is for an Other in this day and age to have a twin?" She asked.

I had to wet my lips before I answered, "No idea."

"Practically zero. Before the Cut Off, when twins were born, they usually shared some part of their magical powers if they had any. The original you lost the ability to use Enchantment when his sister died because they were linked. You can't use any form of Enchantment aside from the Ward. Where do you think that magic went?" She left her sentence hanging.

I would have said something, but Amane walked in with a pair of scissors and the desk chair from her room. Atem quickly rolled off of me before she could see. I didn't know whether to be thankful or feel regret.

"You sit over here," she pointed to Atem with the scissors, brandishing them like a weapon. "You will answer everything I ask. If I don't like the answers, your location will end up all over the Internet by the end of the day. Understand?"

"What's the in-fer-met?" Atem asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Amane was shocked.

"No, she's not. Atem is about as technologically knowledgeable as a coffee table," I explained, not really believing that this was going to happen.

"Like I'm going to believe that you don't actually know what the Internet is," my sister scoffed, tapping the back of the chair again. "Sit. Now."

Atem sat. I shifted nervously.

"Do you believe in magic, Amane?" Atem asked off handedly as my sister began to collect all of her remaining long hair for chopping.

"I'm the one asking the questions here," she snarled.

"Still, do you believe?" The Immortal didn't look at her, instead staring directly at me.

"There's no such thing as magic. Everyone knows that," Amane put her fingers through the holes of the scissors.

"Once upon a time, everyone said that the earth was flat," I mumbled.

"What are you talking...about..." My sister's eyes went wide as the scissors dropped from her hands, Atem's cut hair fluttering to the ground. "That's impossible. How did your hair change to red at the place where I cut it?"

I raised an eyebrow. I always suspected that her hair colour was natural, but I didn't think that it would change from black to red. Magic, maybe?

"Do you believe in magic, Amane Bakura?" Atem asked again, this time turning around and looking at Amane.

"Magic isn't...it's not real. It can't be real," she stuttered, backing away from the chair. She looked at me, hoping that I would deny it. I looked away.

"No," Amane shook her head. "No. This can't be happening. It's not possible."

I sighed, "I said you that you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She didn't say anything else, just ran from my room as if demons were on her heels. I didn't know what to do.

"She needs to know about us," Atem told me. "Call it divine intervention, if you must."

"Did you hear that voice too?". I asked eagerly.

"I heard their voices, yes. Again. They are always there, telling me what to do. They has driven me for over a millennia. You learn to listen to if after a while," she explained.

"What is it?"

"Magic, and through him, the gods. They always have a plan, grander than anything I've ever known," Atem glanced at the door. "If you want to go after her, then go. Explain this to her. I promise you that I will be here when you return."

I leapt to my feet, "You promise?"

"Yes, I do. Besides, I doubt that I'd be able to go anywhere, let alone fend for myself, in my condition. I'm still not completely well, apparently," she smiled slightly at me. I gripped her shoulder in thanks before launching my self out of the doorway and down the stairs.

Amane hadn't made it very far. She was at the end of the street by the time that I got out the front door. It was raining, so my hair and clothes stuck to my skin. I ran after her, not bothering to use Combat magic. She would stop eventually and I would catch up. Now all I had to do was figure out what I was going to say when I did.

I found her standing in the middle of the grassy field at the park. The rain began to pour down, pelting me as I stepped through the slush. It squelched between my toes, reminding me that I had forgotten to put on shoes before leaving. I was becoming more like Atem each day.

"I didn't ask to be this way," I called out through the rain. Amane stiffened, but didn't turn. "If I could, I would become a Normal in an instant."

She didn't say anything as I took a few more steps forward. Water dripped from my hair into my eyes, so I flipped my fringe back, "But it's not all bad. I've met some good people - amazing people - thanks to it. I'm able to do things now to protect people I care about. If it hadn't been for my magic, I never would have been able to save you from Keith."

"Did you use...it...on him?" Amane choked.

"Not on him. On me. It's what made me move fast enough to catch up with you," I explained.

She hugged herself, shivering in the cold. I moved behind her and gently touched her shoulder. She flinched and that hurt more than if she had struck me. I understood why.

"There's this one part of magic, though, called the Ward. It's designed to push Normal's away from us, so that our powers remain a secret," I shrugged. "It's probably why you've always been scared of me."

"I've never been scared of you," Amane whispered.

My heart skipped, "What?"

"I'm not scared of you. Never been scared. I love you, Ryou. Why would I be scared?"

I couldn't believe her words. She wasn't scared of me? How was that possible? She was affected by the Ward because she was a Normal. Right?

"Prove it," Amane said suddenly. "Prove it, that it exists. That this isn't just a joke."

I sighed, realizing that this was it. I was tempted to just say that it was a joke, but there was another round of twisting pain in my stomach. Alright, alright all ready! I get it, magic, no need to shout.

I held out my hand and concentrated, mixing the winds of my power, "This is the first thing that I was ever able to do."

A ball of light appeared in my hand. Amane gasped and then winced in pain, "Oh god...that's..."

"An Illusion. It's not real, just magic playing tricks on your eyes," I said.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"Are you sure you're not scared?" I implored.

"No, I just - Ow," she grasped her head.

"Headache again?"

"It's not pain. And I keep thinking of tornados. Does that make any sense?" Amane groaned.

I frowned, releasing my spell. She blinked, raising her head. My frown deepened. I conjured up the ball of light again. Amane cried out again, "What the hell?"

"Tornados. Mixing winds," I spoke with wonder.

"What are you talking about?"

"Atem. She'll know. She'll be able to explain but I think I've got a good idea of what this is," I didn't know what to feel about this - what my sister was.

The candle with black fire in my Room flashed before my eyes. Of course, how could I have not noticed it before? Black fire - black like Amane's eyes. Black like Amane's magic. The magic that was connected to me. The Enchantment magic I had never been able to use, she had it. Somehow.

"Let's go back. Come on, it's raining out," I stated the obvious.

She let out a wet chuckle, "Yeah. Alright."

I took her hand as we turned to go back at the house, feeling a little bit lighter than usual. Amane had a few more questions, though.

"Is her name really Atem? I thought that her name was Yugi."

"No, she's definitely Atem," I answered. "That's the name her parents gave her."

"And how old is she?" Amane asked.

I snorted, "Twelve hundred years old, give or take a few years."

"No, really. How old?"

"Twelve hundred."

She gapped, "Really?"

"Yeah. She was cursed when she tried to bring someone back to life," I told her. "When you try to take something that death has already staked claim on, then your death is taken from you. Atem used to be a Mayan princess, back when the empire was flourishing."

"No freaking way. Oh my god!" Her eyes flashed, "That's why there were pictures of her. I was right! She is immortal!"

"She can still die, if she gets sick or is killed. It's just that she can't age. She's stuck. But Atem has been called The Immortal several times throughout history," I said.

"Wow. This is just...I was not expecting this when I woke up this morning," she looked astounded.

"I wasn't expecting this at all. You were never supposed to know, but apparently, forces beyond my control want you to," I sighed,

"I thought Seto Kaiba-"

"Not Kaiba. Magic. It's alive and wants you to know about it," I replied. "Kaiba would kill me if he found out that you knew. Here, before we go in..."

We stood under the small awning over the front door to our house. I Morphed the water out of her clothes and hair, "What did you see that time?"

"Mom's garden in the summer," she sounded confused as the pain recessed from her head.

"I knew it. Come on," I ushered her inside.

Our parents were in the front room, watching the news. Dad looked up, "Amane, have you seen this yet?"

"Seen what?" She asked.

"This Yugi Mutuo girl who broke into the White House. They say that she might be planning a second attack on the Pentagon. That means that she's probably somewhere in New York state," he said. "We're going to pull you out of school for a while. Joseph is doing the same for his children."

"Joseph?" I whispered to Amane.

"Joey and Serenity's father," she answered, just as quietly, then turned back to our parents. "It's fine, dad. I heard on the radio that she had been sighted in Honolulu this morning, trying to flee to Singapore. There are loads of rumours flying around about her location. Not letting me go to school isn't going to change that."

"You're not going back to school and that's final," mom shouted. "If you got hurt, sweetheart, I don't know what I'd do. I'm taking the week off to spend some time with you. My boss will understand. He's expecting most people not to show up, either way."

"But mom!" Amane complained.

"No buts, young lady," she scolded.

"Ugh! You guys are so unfair!" My sister complained, grabbing my wrist and pulling me up the stairs. "Come on, Ryou."

My father hollered after us, "Don't use that tone with your mother!"

"Go to hell!" She yelled back at them. Then she told me in a soft voice, "That'll keep them squabbling for a while. Oh, this is so weird!"

"What's weird?"

"This. Magic. Everything," she exclaimed. "There's an immortal fugitive in our house and...she's fallen asleep."

I was true. Atem lay sprawled out on my floor, snoring slightly as her chest rose and fell. Not that I was looking or anything.

"I guess any proper explanation is going to have to wait," I grumbled. At least this was a guarantee that she wasn't going to leave any time soon.

"She'll be like that for a while? Good. You can tell me everything," Amane bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Everything about...everything! Right?" She seemed to trail off, wondering if I would continue to withhold information.

I wasn't going to. Even if magic hadn't wanted me to tell her, at this point I was not going to let my chance to rekindle my relationship with my sister slide. She wasn't scared of me, she wasn't turning her back on me, and she seemed interested in my magical powers.

"Everything," I confirmed. "Well, only as much as I know. The story's a bit large and I don't even know half of it."

"Everything. Anything. Anything you can. I want to know!" She grinning maniacally as she sat on my bed.

And so I did. I told her everything I could. It took all of the morning and most of the afternoon, but I told Amane what I could do, who my friends were and what they were good at. I told her about my Necromancy powers, about the spirits in the local graveyard, about the first time that I saw a ghost.

The only thing I didn't mention was my past with Atem. I didn't tell her about Akeifa and the others. I didn't tell her about the lines on my arms. I didn't know enough about that to tell her anything definitive. That and I was worried that she would flip out again if I even mentioned that my life had been intertwined with Atem's since before I was born. I made it seem like we were simply friends.

It wasn't exactly lying; it was just selectively telling the truth.

Really.

* * *

My sister is an Abnormal. Atem explained this to the pair of us shortly after she woke up late that Thursday afternoon. It was the most shocking thing I had ever heard in my entire life.

Abnormals are what becomes of the twins of Others these days. Before the Cut Off when magic was abundant and strong, twins shared a collective magic between them. That's what happened to the original me. As Atem said before, when his twin sister was killed when his village was attacked by bandits, he lost his Enchantment magic. That was what connected them - their minds - and when she died, she took that with her.

Nowadays, an Other having a twin is something that rarely happens. Since magic resides in all living beings, it can control the outcome of a birth if it chooses too. Under the usual circumstance, it makes sure that Others do not have a twin because of that still existing connection. Remember the black candle in my Soul Room? That is my connection to Amane. It burns within me, but it is my sister that uses its power. So, if it does decide to allow a twin to be created, because of that link, the child that is not given magic will, in essence, steal some from their sibling.

Of course, this is all just speculation on Atem's part, but it is the best explanation we've got for what Amane is.

My sister took my Enchantment magic. That does not mean that she can read minds, though. No, not at all. Amane has a shade of black magic within her that does not allow her to consciously use her powers. The best thing for me to compare it to for you to understand is probably breathing. You don't tell yourself every time you take a breath to put air into your lungs. Your body does it for you without you having to think about it.

It's also like how I am always about to see spirits. I don't have to use my Necromancy powers; I just have to look at them. That bit of magic is always functional.

What my Enchantment magic did for her was increase her mental shield. Normals do have a bit of a wall around their minds, though I am told that it is quite simple to break in (I wouldn't know). Being an Abnormal made it so that all of Amane's magic went in to making it completely impenetrable. Not even the Ward can get in, making her immune to any of the side effects that come with that piece of magic. There is no way, outside of Amane opening up her mouth and speaking, that someone could get information out of her. She can even mentally retreat behind those walls if necessary, blocking herself off from the real world and essentially entering a coma, therefore becoming the only human being to have a mind completely resistant to torture.

She also has a version of the Sixth Sense, though it is slightly different than ours. Since her magic is not of a shade that is not supposed to be used, her Sense is a little messed up. For one: instead of smells, Amane gets mental images - sights and sometimes sounds that reflect each branch. They are the same types of things as my Sixth Sense because she basically has my magic - not that I'm angry with her or anything. I can't miss something that I've never used in the first place.

As for the second thing, the Sense comes across as pain, resulting in Amane's headaches. She was never supposed to have the Sense, so her body can't handle it. It registers as pain because her mind simply can't understand it as anything else other than something that's not supposed to be there.

Abnormals are people who are trapped in between the worlds of the Others and the Normals. They are both and neither at the same time. They have an Other's weakness to alcohol, however they can hold it well enough not to be sick for a week after drinking it. They are driven by Magic because they were not an accident. Abnormals like my sister were created with a purpose.

There have been other Abnormals before. I'm not sure how many others, but I do know of one more Abnormal. He took his brother's Illusion magic, but that wasn't the important bit. That man was a test subject of Magic, who was trying to see how he could use this secret weapon that he had kept hidden away from the enemy for years. Magic succeeded. Abnormals are more susceptible to his influence than any other being because they are not only literally born of Magic, but they can see and interact with him as well. That man was used by Magic to discover how far he would be able to push Amane.

He didn't have to push. Amane would have done what she did without any outward influence. But you've got to hand it to Magic: my sister was the very last thing that the enemy was expecting.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank the people who reviewed for the last chapter: kenjiilicious, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, Malik'sStalker, AsianWolf, YamixSetoFanatic94, Akikee, Kyo's 1 lover, and Coolaloo.**

**So finally - finally - we understand what Amane is. If you've been reading my side stories, you know that Amane was neither Normal nor Other. She was something different all together and now we have that answer. She's an Abnormal that took her twin brother's Enchantment magic and turned her mind into an impregnable nuclear bunker.**

**As I mentioned in The Abnormal, Solomon Moto was wrong in the second chapter when he said that there were _only_ two groups of people. There are four: Normals, Others, Abnormals, and Ancients. Don't worry though, Solomon wasn't lying. He'd simply never known.**

**If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please drop me a line on my forum. If not, leave a review and I will get back you as soon as possible.**

**Until next time, my friends,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	24. Where Is Your Flaw

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer: **Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 24: Where Is Your Flaw?**

_Sunday, March 5__th__, 2017_

Atem was bored. That much was plain to see. Of course, she wasn't the only one. There wasn't really anything to do except hanging out in my room and playing cards. She was one hell of a poker player. I could see how she beat Pegasus. I was very glad that she had turned down Amane's suggestion to play strip poker. I would have lost all of my clothing within minutes.

Speaking of Amane, she had started getting along with our resident immortal fugitive. She had lent Atem some of her old clothing so that she could change out of my shirt. It nearly gave me a heart attack when I walked in on Atem in a skirt yesterday. What? I had never seen her in anything other than baggy pants and a t-shirt. I'd like to see you not get shocked by that.

Her old clothes used to cloak her body. Amane's shirts practically glued themselves to Atem's form. From what I found out later, my sister also had to introduce her to modern undergarments - specifically a bra. Apparently, she either didn't wear one (gulp) or bound her chest flat. I swore that all the events since Wednesday had prematurely aged me, I just couldn't tell how many years because my hair was already white.

Anyways, Atem was bored. I was bored. Hell, even Amane was bored and she hadn't shut up about magic since learning that it existed. It was question after question with her and while I love my sister, there comes a time when you just want to grab some duct tape and slap some over her mouth.

I had asked a few questions myself about Amane being an Abnormal. Everything just seemed to make sense now, like how she had never really been scared of me. Her mind was so locked up that not even the Ward could affect her. I couldn't tell before because my sister had all my Enchantment powers. It was incredible.

But the stress was getting to me. I had been so freaked out with the close encounters Atem had had with people in the last few days. Dad had almost discovered her twice on Friday on the way to the loo. If she had been seen, crap, I didn't even want to think about what might happen to her.

So instead...

"Got any fives?"

...Instead we played Go Fish.

"Nope," Atem sighed, propping her head up with her arm as she lay on the floor.

"Damn," Amane swore. "No, wait a minute! Yes you do. You had one last turn."

"She did. I took it," I said proudly.

"The only thing you've managed to take this round," Atem smirked. "Got any aces, Bakura?"

"Fuck! How do you do that?" I groaned, "You better not be reading my mind. That's cheating."

"It's not my fault that you have terrible luck. And don't lump me in with Maximillion Pegasus," she poked me in the side.

"Fine, here's your ace," I handed her the card, before turning to Amane. "You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really miss school."

"And I can't believe I'm agreeing with you," she sighed.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad," Atem rolled her eyes. "Oh, and it's your turn, Bakura."

"Amane, hand over your six. And you," I pointed to The Immortal, "You have never had to experience the hell that is Mr. Harrison's science class. It's like watching paint dry."

"I have no sixes, Ryou."

"Son of a - hey! I got what I asked for from the pile! Atem, I want a queen from you."

She faked searching her hand for one, but instead handed me a card from the centre pile, "I've watched paint dry before. It's not as boring as people say it is."

"And somehow I remain unsurprised..." I muttered. I got a six. Damn it.

"And then there is Ms. Madusa. How that woman manages to keep her job, I have no idea," Amane complained.

"She's sleeping with the principal," I supplied.

"Get out!" My sister sat upright, "Where the hell did you hear that?"

"People don't notice me, so I hear a lot of things that I shouldn't. How'd you think I figured out that Devlin liked Serenity?" I answered her.

"But...isn't the principal...?"

"Married. Yep."

"Wow," Amane rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "Just wow. Though that does explain a lot. Ms. Madusa's a terrible teacher."

"What does she teach?" Atem asked.

"History," we said it at the same time.

"Ah, history," she hummed. "It is strange how history never really looks like history when you're in the middle of it all."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it just looks like today. Ordinary, uneventful today. And yet, who knows?" Atem looked wistfully at the corner of my bed. "Maybe this card game with go down in history because it had some sort of great significance to the fate of the entire world."

I blinked, "That's just stupid."

"Never under estimate the power of a children's card game," she looked at me pointedly. "It was because of one that I was able to pay for Seto and Mokuba's education at Harvard."

"Poker is hardly a children's game," I scoffed.

"And yet you were playing it earlier, Mister 'I'm still a minor at the age of seventeen,'" Atem poked me again. I believed that this was going to become a reoccurring thing with us.

"Ugh! If only we could go outside!" Amane flailed around on her back, "Mom and dad are so freaking paranoid that you're going to go and blow us up at school. And instead we're upstairs a playing Go Fish!"

"I'd like to go out as much as you would, Amane, but we can't. I'm not letting this one," I pointed to Atem, "out of my sight on pain of a Kaiba induced death."

"I am fully recovered," Atem huffed.

"And that's why we called Kaiba to find out if they were still being watched. And they are. It's not safe," I explained again.

"I know. I just wish that I could walk outside of this room," she sighed. "It's a nice place, but I don't want to live hear longer than I have to."

And she had been living here. Specifically, she had been living on my bed for the past four days. I had taken to sleeping in Amane's room. I'd shared a bed with her before and, to be honest, hers was much more warm and comfortable then mine would ever be.

"Can't you do that thing? You know, put an Illusion over you to look like someone else," Amane's eyes lit up at the idea of seeing more magic.

"Magic can be tracked. Even mine, though I do not have access to that Sixth Sense," Atem explained. "They figured out how to do that over a century ago."

I bit my lip before asking, "Who's 'they'?"

Atem flinched, "They are…who I am fighting against. They are evil and terrible and have to be stopped."

"But who are they?" I asked again.

"The government. The police. The FBI and CIA. Every single infected organization on the face of the earth and it's a losing battle, but I will not rest until they are gone," she said fiercely.

"But what –"

"Oh my god! I am an idiot!" Amane shouted suddenly, "Stay here. I know how we can get out."

She bolted, running out of my room and down the hall into hers. I blinked, surprised at her sudden outburst. She came back carrying what looked like her entire make up collection and a brown mop that looked to be from a Halloween costume.

"If you can't disguise yourself with magic, than we will disguise yourself the Normal way," my sister said proudly. I was convinced that she had lost her marbles.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.

"We all want to get out and do stuff, right? Even if it is just to leave the house for once. But we can't if she," Amane nodded to Atem, "looks like herself. So, if we make her look different, we can go out and do something."

"Amane, we can't. If she's discovered...," I trailed off.

"The whole country may be looking for her, but that's the great part!" She looked around, as if we would get what she was talking about. We didn't, "Everyone is looking for her elsewhere. Honestly, why would the terrible Yugi Mutuo be here?"

"Well, you've blabbed to Devlin about her being here," I slapped a hand over my mouth, realizing what I had said.

"He told you? What?" She seemed flabbergasted at the idea.

"I asked him to keep an eye on you after...Keith," I muttered. Amane looked at me oddly.

"That's...kind of sweet."

"Thanks, I guess," I blushed a little.

"I'm curious, Amane," Atem asked suddenly. "In the beginning you were completely opposed to me being here. What changed?"

My sister genuinely hesitated, like she was about to say something but then changed her mind to think about her answer. Finally, she opened her mouth, "I don't know. It was like, before, all I could think about was finding you - discovering who you were. And I got really worried because of what I found. But now that your here, it just feels lighter, like I've finished something great. You know what I mean?"

Atem looked downtrodden, "It seems as if not even Abnormals can escape the pull of magic. Whatever it wants you for, it involves me. And for that, I am truly sorry."

"What would magic want for Amane?" I questioned.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it will test her harder than anything before. I would know," and with that, she got up and looked out my window at the backyard.

"It isn't safe out there, Amane. And if you are discovered as being in contact with me this early in the game, when you have only just begun your true path into this world, it will be bad," Atem sighed acceptingly. "I wish I could go out and do something with you, but I can't. I'm sorry."

"Oh, alright," my sister sighed sadly. "I guess I'll go put these away…"

But when I saw Atem glance out the window with a dethatched longing for free air, I knew that she didn't want to believe those words.

* * *

_The formal clothing that I was wearing itched. The fabric was coarse, shafting against my skin uncomfortably as I moved. However, I wasn't as uncomfortable as Atem looked in her full regal dress._

_That wasn't to say that she didn't still look as amazing as she had when I had walked in on her a few weeks back in it. It was that she seemed as if she wanted nothing more than to leave these people at the banquet and step out into the field of battle. Atem wasn't a princess. She was a warrior._

_How ironic was it that not so long ago, I would have mocked her for her choice to join the army. But that was before I saw her fighting. Before I had fought beside her. Before I'd grown to have feelings for her._

_That was before Dartz had ever laid a hand on her._

_Not that the Ancient had hit her; if he had, I would have stopped for no force until he was dead on the ground. But he had touched her, I knew he had. It felt like revenge for that one time Atem had walked in on Ix Chel and me. Jealousy raged in my chest whenever I saw the pair of them together. I wanted to tear him apart when he held her hand._

_And as for Ix Chel...I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't live that lie. So we weren't together anymore. However, Ix Chel didn't like that._

_She had finally confronted me about Atem, about me saying the name of my mistress instead of the name I had given the slave girl a little while back. I didn't say anything, just stared at the floor as she growled and spat at me. Her ice blue eyes flashed with her anger and her black hair seemed more wild and untamed than before._

_Something made me shiver when I remembered that moment. I knew that I had seen those eyes somewhere before, I just couldn't remember where._

_Atem was sitting next to her soon to be fiancé. I was a few arms length away, moving closer with her food. She was talking with Iona, Dartz's first wife about the land they had left behind._

_"Mu is a garden of prosperity," the queen gushed. "There is nothing in the world to compare it to. The shacks look less dirty and pungent than this hovel."_

_"But Mu was destroyed, wasn't it?" Atem asked polity._

_Iona drew herself up to her full height, "It was destroyed, but it will come back. When your puny human civilization catches up to our technology, we will -"_

_"Iona," Dartz said warningly. She quieted immediately. The King looked at Atem, eying her and sizing her up, "If you don't mind, My Lady, I think it is time that you made your announcement."_

_My hand jerked as I lay down her plate. I looked up hurriedly, checking to see if she was all right. Atem couldn't keep my gaze. What had that bastard done to her? Where was her unbreakable spine?_

_The king, who was seated on the other side of his daughter, nodded and rose to his feet. I took that as a queue to step away from the table, as did the rest of the slaves. Something was about to happen._

"_Attention. Attention," King Acalan called. "Tonight, we are here to celebrate our newly formed alliance with the Ancient Ones, the people who came before ourselves. Tonight, we bind our two cultures together in the most powerful way."_

_My stomach dropped. No. He could not be talking about…_

"_My people," he addressed the royal court. "I have glorious news. For on this very night, my daughter, Princess Atem, will become engaged to marry the great King of Mu himself. His majesty, Dartz."_

_I stopped thinking, stopped breathing. I couldn't believe it. My worst fears had come to pass. This was it. It was final. Atem was getting married to…to…him. That Ancient perverted, slimeball of a bastard._

_It tore at my heart, leaving me aching inside. It shouldn't hurt this badly. I was supposed to have forgotten about Atem and my feelings for her._

_Oh, who was I planning on kidding? I still felt the exact same way that I had a year ago. I still cared about her, more than I cared to admit. Gods this was horrible._

_I couldn't remember much of what happened afterwards. All that I recalled from just after the king's speech was Atem's very stiff acknowledging wave and her embarrassed nod towards Dartz. And then - minutes, hours later, I couldn't tell you – she was walking out the door._

_I followed her, passing my remaining plates to a boy with ice blue eyes. I ran out into the corridors and flew through the grounds after her. I knew where she was going. Our secret practice grounds._

_Atem seemed to be clawing at herself. As I got closer, I realized that she was tearing at her dress. My eyes crossed when she pulled it over her head. Oh, thanks the gods for loincloths and breast bands._

_But she let out a yell of frustration and threw the thing in the dirt, before setting it on fire._

"_Well," I breathed. "You did say that all dresses deserved to be burned."_

_She sucked in a breath, turning around to look at me and kept on turning, "Bakura, I'm not clothed."_

"_You don't wear a lot more when that when you go fighting," I murmured._

_Atem looked over her shoulder at me, "Well, that's all going to change soon."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Didn't you hear? Father's making me quit the army," she spat._

"_What?" I yelled. "But you love that."_

"_Proper wives don't fight battles, Bakura," she explained. "They sit at home and occasionally pop out a baby. Hopefully, it's a boy because only they can be proper heirs. War is a man's business, not a woman's."_

"_That's crazy and you know it," I shouted. "Everyone who's seen you fight knows that you are the strongest Shaman we have in the army. Tell him that you're not going to."_

"_I already told you! I don't have a choice! I have to do this, for the good of-"_

"_Liar," I spoke sternly. "Liar. You know you can say no. What is keeping you from doing that?"_

_Atem's face scrunched up with a pained expression I was all too familiar with. She folded in on herself, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to not feel so alone. She shivered and hiccupped. I couldn't stand for this anymore._

"_Look, whatever it is, it's killing you. If you don't want to do this, just don't. Don't go through with it. I'd rather see you happy than like this," I tried to reason with her. Atem's gaze turned sour and she snarled._

"_How can you say that? After – after this, I –" she launched herself at me, god power blasting from her body. I defended myself, shifting the earth into a fist and propelling it upwards. She countered with a god power filled punch that shatters it into tiny pieces. Red fire flowed from our mouths, flooding outwards from our bones and our souls and into reality._

_The impact threw us backwards and lightning lanced out from her fingers. I deflected it with a casual flick of my hand and Summoned one of my Demons, Dark Necrofear, into the world. She countered with Dark Magician Girl, having fight each other while their masters engaged in battle again._

_I fought her with everything that I had. Illusions were cast and broken, fists connected with flesh and bones. Fire burned and the world rumbled with our strength. It was moments like this that I realized just how powerful I'd gotten over the last few years. I realized that we were on equal footing. I was as strong as Atem herself._

_I rushed her when she wasn't expecting it, slamming her into the ground with all my force. I leaned over her, pinning her to the ground with my arms. I laughed, "Girls are stronger with their legs. You should use them more."_

_Her chest heaved and it was a little distracting. My vision followed the line of the cord that held a charm around her neck. It slipped down between the valley of her breasts and then I was very, very distracted by trying to see what it was._

_Pain exploded between my legs. I saw stars and I swore profusely. When my vision cleared, Atem had flipped me on my back and crawled on top of me. She leaned down, long hair brushing my face and she breathed heavily._

"_Am I doing better?" Her eyes blazed and my mind went all the wrong places. My mouth refused to form words, but my hands took on a life of their own. They found her powerful legs and slowly began to travel upwards, feeling the lean muscles twitch as they went._

_Atem froze, eyes wide but not looking away, not stopping me. I swallowed something hard as I discovered that her hips fit into my hands perfectly. Something burned within me and made it hard to breathe._

_She might have whispered my name, I might had whispered her's, there in that dark moonlit field. I didn't know what was controlling my body, but it couldn't have been me as my mouth opened and I swiped my tongue across her jawbone._

_A twig snapped and the spell between us was broken. We leapt apart, hearts pounding in our chests. I shook like a leaf, trying to reign in my raging emotions. What the hell had gotten into me lately?_

"_We should…we should g-get back," Atem stuttered, unable to look at me. But then again, I couldn't even glance in her direction, so I couldn't have confirmed that._

"_Yeah," I breathed through my nose, trying to supply necessary air to my body. I tried to stand, collapsing on the first try but I found that I could manage it on the second._

_Atem created some clothes for herself out of some fallen leaves, stumbling to her feet in a manor that was frighteningly similar to mine. Her legs look a little bit shakier that mine and her face a shade too red._

_We were almost back in her room when I stopped her, hand on her wrist. She jumped when my skin brushed against hers._

"_Has Dartz ever hurt you?" I asked, "Has he…touched you?"_

_It was a question that no slave should ask, but I wasn't just a slave. I was her friend._

"_He has tried," she admitted, softly. "But I didn't let him. Not before marriage."_

_I squeezed her hand, "Please. Please don't."_

"_I have to."_

"_No you don't," this was a conversation we seemed to be having a lot._

"_Bakura," Atem turned to me, reaching up to touch my face. Her hand slid down over my neck, stopping just above my collar. "Yes, I do."_

_And then she was walking into her room and I was left standing in the corridor, wishing that, somehow, I could stop this._

* * *

_Friday, March 10__th__, 2017_

I wondered for the umpteenth time, how I had managed to land myself into this situation. Each and every time, I come back to the exact same conclusion. That I was completely warped by circumstances that were totally out to get me.

Our parents had let us go back to school on Monday. Or rather, they had given Amane the green light to go back to school. I was just allowed to tag along. Atem had promised to stay put when we went, but I had a sneaking suspicion that she snuck out and followed us there.

I hoped to hell that she used Amane's disguise, but every so often I would see a flash of her particular shade of maroon eyes in the crowded corridors of Domino High. I figured that she knew how to make sure she wasn't discovered. Still, I was freaked out.

All the people at school were talking about Yugi Mutuo. I had gotten a few weird looks from Devlin, like he wanted to talk to me about something awkward. I tried to avoid him the best I could. I didn't like the idea of him knowing. I hoped that he hadn't told anyone else about Atem.

But she was the topic of discussion everywhere. People were wondering who she was, where she came from, and where she might be now. I wondered what would happen if they found out that she was living in my room.

But then again, no one ever cared about my room outside of wondering whether or not it contained a medieval torture rack.

Amane had tried to stay as close to me as possible over the last few days. I didn't mind the extra company. It was a lot easier to sneak food up to Atem now that she was helping me. She could bring home some food before mom and dad got home.

But as the bell rang and signaled the beginning of lunch period, I felt a familiar touch in my mind. This time, when Atem called for me, it was not a panicked scrambled message, but a calm, "Please come here. I want to talk about something."

How could I resist that?

So I left, making sure that Amane didn't follow me out. Atem called me to somewhere different this time and I found my way to her by sneaking through some of the secret doors that only the caretakers use. The wind on the roof was more pronounced and cold than it was closer to the ground, so I hugged my coat closer to my body.

Atem was waiting for me, leaning against the edge of the building. Somehow, she was able to keep Amane's brown wig from flying off of her head. She wore my sister's old clothing as well: a pullover green hoodie with a design on it and a pair of jeans that covered her feet. If I hadn't known that it was her, I never would have guessed.

"I know I shouldn't be here," she started, but I cut her off.

"You've been here all week, haven't you? Watching me," She didn't answer, just nod. I sighed, "I'm not pissed off about it. I've kind of gotten used to all the craziness the last few days."

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"Don't be. Because of this, I don't have to lie to my sister anymore. Because of this, I feel a lot more free," I told her.

Atem glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, smiled and looked back, "It's odd, seeing you again. I wasn't prepared for this."

I was about to ask what she meant, but then I remembered the day I had overheard her speaking with Kaiba. She had thought that Akeifa would be the last of the incarnations.

Atem continued on, "I've been thinking about why you look the way you do ever since I saw you. But each explanation is more absurd than the next." She turned to look at me, "Where is your flaw?"

I flinched. Flaw? What flaw?

"Each of them had a flaw, some outward difference. Thief King was too childlike. Touzoku was too angled. Game Master was too muscled. Soul Steeler was too lanky. Dark God had the wrong colour skin. And Akeifa was different in every way possible," she took a breath. "The only similarities were the white hair and red eyes; they were my markers. If you are truly to fall into that pattern of incarnations, you shouldn't look the way you do."

"What's wrong with the way I look?" I snapped.

"You can't look that way," Atem's voice took on a harsh and desperate tone that I was unfamiliar with. "You look exactly like he did. Exactly. That's not possible. No one has the same soul. Even identical twins don't look the same because they are different people. No two people have the same soul, not even reincarnations."

She rounded on me, grabbing me by the collar and pulling me down to face her, "Where is your flaw?"

"I don't have one," I told her, shoving her off.

"You have to," she growled. "Why would you not? It's just not possible. You aren't him!"

"Is this what you were saying, when you were crying? Is this what you were talking about?" I shouted at her, angry for a reason I could not explain. She flinched, "What's wrong with the idea that I might just be him. What happened that you think it is so bad that I might actually be that slave you used to know?"

"Shut up!" She seemed just as angry with me. "How can you just here like this?"

"You called for me. I came," I snapped.

Atem huffed, "That's not what I meant and you know it. Why are you _here_ looking the way you do? Why are you the only one that remembers all that happened? That world was dead and buried for over a thousand years. What right do you have to bring it all up again?"

"What's this really about, Atem?" I tried to reason with her.

Her voice was low and rumbling, "Do you know how painful it is to look at you? What its like to live with you, looking the way you do?"

"Then why are you here? Why did you call me here if you don't want to see me so badly?" I bared my teeth, snarling. "Why did you agree to teach me if you clearly don't want to?"

Atem howled, launching herself forwards in a way that was so similar and so unfamiliar. I'd never seen her lose herself like this, outside of her dreams. But that wasn't the problem now.

The problem was that I wasn't as good a fighter as I was in my dreams. I could see elements of her style that I recognized, but simply didn't know the magic to counter attack. I could see how Atem was truly a powerful fighter. I stood no chance.

She was faster than me, leaping at me, snarling and hissing and spitting. I barely managed to get out of the way before the earth knocked me off of my feet. I landed hard on my ass, skidding to a stop and rolling out of the way just in time to escape her freaking eagle strike from above.

I flipped onto my feet; mind completely focused on escaping alive as the onslaught continued. I didn't panic though. Panic was something that Kaiba had drilling into the sides of our heads not to do in a Combat situation. Besides, I always felt calmer when the flames of magic were running through my system.

Atem kicked my feet out from under me and I landed back on the ground. This time, I was unprepared for her strike and she took my momentary lapse in concentration to pin me to the ground. Her hands closed around my throat.

But I felt no terror, no need to run. Because I knew.

Her hands didn't constrict or press into my neck to cut off my breathing. They just rested there as the hair of her wig covered Atem's face. I reached up and pulled it off of her.

Atem's shorter hair was just as unfamiliar and similar as her fighting style. It was something that I was unused to in this world, but in my dreams, for the longest time, she had short hair. It seemed like the two places were switching.

"What's wrong?" I whispered softly.

"You'll never replace him," she hissed through her teeth, but there was no anger in her voice anymore.

"I'm not looking to replace him," I explained. "I don't even know how to replace him. I don't know what to replace."

"Then what…" she breathed heavily, "…do you want?"

"Not replace. Maybe just…" I swallowed hard, "…continue?"

The hands on my neck shivered for a second. And then they were gone, placed beside my head as Atem leaned over me. My hands twitch with the urge to touch her. I fought, and failed, to resist.

They inched their ways onto her denim-clad legs, fingers gently tracing patterns. She realized exactly what I was doing, eyes shifting down for a second to look at my hands, and then back to my face.

"Continue what? You can't remember what to continue," her voice shook.

"I remember some," I leaned up, getting ridiculously close to her. "And I will remember more, as time comes."

Atem simply breathed, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against mine, "I know. Damn you, Bakura. I know."

Then she moved off of me, pulling away and shifting off of my body. I realized how cold it was out. I didn't like being cold.

I sat up, wrapping my arms around her and pressing myself into her back. Warmth spread throughout my body again. I sighed, contently, "Do you know what its like living with you? These past few days have been,,,trying, to say the least."

"I can only imagine," she muttered, leaning back.

"So…" I hummed questioning. "This is kind of out of no where, but…do you want to go out?"

"We are outside already, Bakura," Atem took me literally again. I stammered, not expecting to have to say it again.

"I know that, but…do you…want to out and do something?"

She gapped, "Oh. Oh that's what you meant. Um…where?"

"Anywhere," I said quickly. "Anywhere we want."

Atem leaned back a bit into my arms, "Can we see a motion picture?"

I was thrown-off for a second before by the old terminology for a film, but agreed. We'd manage to sneak in somehow, "Anything specific you want to see?"

"Just a picture – one that moves. I've heard of them, but I've never seen one in person," she admitted.

I snorted, "We'll have to fix that. Come on, let's go. There's a cinema down the road."

"What about class? Don't you have to go back?" She tried to stall.

"I'll skip. It's fine," I told her. "You're more important. You're used to being free to go wherever you want and now you're all cooped up. Here," I reached back, grabbing the wig, "Put this on and lets go."

She turned her head back and pressed her lips against my cheek. I stiffened, face burning red. She whispered into my ear, "I'm sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have attack you or come here or bothered you and your sister…"

"Atem, I…" I stammered, tried to say something but nothing came out.

"I didn't lie before," she said, softly. "You help me just by being here. I…don't know what I'd do without you. And I'm so, so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

She didn't say anything at first, but then she whispered, "I'm going to be the death of you."

And I knew that she meant it, that she honestly believed that. So I simply shrugged, as if to say that I didn't care, stood and pulled her up with me. I was a little hesitant to hold her hand, since this was kind of a date thing and I didn't know if that was appropriate at this point, but she didn't let go.

It made me feel really warm and fuzzy inside.

* * *

The movie was fun. It was a remake of James Cameron's Avatar movie from a little while back. The graphics had improved, but the plot – or lack of plot – remained basically the same: giant intergalactic smurfs versus transformers with the story line of Pocahontas.

But Atem really enjoyed it, so that was the whole point. I'd cast an Illusion over the guy at the cash and he just handed us a ticket. Free movies were a lot sweeter in the theatres than they were when streamed onto a tablet.

Now we were sitting in a fast food joint down the block, munching through cheeseburgers and sipping soda through plastic straws in massive cups. Atem kept wondering how they had managed to find tall enough people and paint them blue for the movie. I tried to explain it to her that they were all created on a computer.

"It's called CGI," I told her. "There were no blue people, it's just a program."

"But how is that possible?" She spoke with amazement.

"Dunno, but they've been doing it for years," I bit into my burger. "So, is there something about technology that you might like now?"

Atem rolled her eyes at me, barely containing a smirk, "It's very odd, those things being real but not real at the same time."

"Oh, I'm sure there are weirder things out there," I told her.

"Like what?" She asked coyly.

"Well," I looked up in pretend thought, "I'm sitting in a McDonald's with an immortal woman with really weird hair that she has hidden under a wig. I can preform magic and have the spirits of my past lives living in my head. I can see dead people and I have an Abnormal for a sister who defies the laws of existence. And to top it all off, I'm an albino from Wales. And do you know what's running through my mind right now?"

"What?"

"I'm wondering if this place has free refills," I sucked the rest of the soda out of my cup, making that annoying slurping sound as I did. And Atem laughed.

Then she did something really weird. She got really quiet, staring at me with the oddest smile on her face. I took another long swig of the nearly bone dry soda cup. Atem leaned forwards, reached across the table and pulled the straw from my mouth.

"Atem, wha –" I would have continued speaking if I could have, but she didn't give me that chance. She stood up, leaned over and pulled my mouth towards hers.

I was going to die a very, very happy death. I didn't really process what was happening for the first few seconds. And then…

Oh.

_Oh._

My fingers slipped into her hair, securing my hold on her as I returned the kiss whole-heartedly. And there was tongue and spit and everything that had seemed weird before, but this time it was what made it all amazingly wonderful.

We pulled away together, detaching ourselves from one another and making sure our hands where back on their respective owners. She was blushing furiously. It made me wonder, once again, how far down it went.

"What was that for?" I said hoarsely.

Atem looked to the side out of embarrassment, "If you're allowed to kiss me for weird reasons, I'm allowed to do the same."

Part of me was disappointed that she didn't kiss me because she liked me. Another part, much larger and much more predominant, was thinking back to the last time that we kissed – to what I was thinking back then. I'd been confused and scared at the time, but at the same time, I wouldn't have kissed her had I not been comfortable with her.

Touzoku had asked me in the days following if I would have kissed anyone else, had they been in Atem's place. My answer was still the same. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else.

Atem had kissed me because she was all of those things – confused and scared. But she also trusted me. _Me_.

And that meant something, so I tried to remain cool, like girls kissed me all the time in moments of bewilderment. Failed miserably, but tried anyways. Intertwined her fingers with mine and hoped that I wasn't blushing too much.

Failed at that too, but I didn't mind. Especially when she swiped her thumb across my hand and continued to smile at me.

"Hey," she whispered at me.

"Yeah?" I answered, tightening my grip on her hand.

"Thanks," Atem said softly.

"No problem," I said back.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I would like to thank all those who reviewed for the last chapter: Kyo's 1 lover, Akikee, AsianWolf, Malik'sStaler, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, Coolaloo, and ilovemanicures.**

**I would like to stress that even though Atem and Bakura kissed again, they are not together. Those two could go through the motions of being in a relationship without actually being in one (in their minds). They will eventually get together, though that will not be for a very long time.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	25. Thank You, Grandfather

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 25: Thank You, Grandfather**

_Sunday, March 12__th__, 2017_

Atem and I slept in the same bed all weekend. That wasn't to say that we did anything other than slip into unconscious at the end of the day and drool next to each other, but we still did. It was nice, for lack of a better word. Nice to fall asleep to the sound of someone else's breathing. Nice to have someone hair to play with when you woke up, despite the fact that it was significantly shorter than it used to be. Though it still made me chuckle at the knowledge that Atem liked to cuddle.

If Amane had a problem with me moving back into my own room, she didn't say anything about it.

It was mid morning when I got the call. Kisara said that it would be safe to bring Atem back now. Between all the students who would be PORTing in, it would be almost impossible to track down her exact signature. She could go back to her family.

I sighed, waiting for my sister to stop talking with Atem. They were saying their good-byes, though I doubted that these would be their final words.

I was getting a little antsy as I waited outside the door. From what I could tell, Amane wanted Atem to keep the old clothes that she had worn this week.

"It's not like I'll be wearing them anymore," my sister had said before the door closed. "It's best if they go towards someone who will use them."

But now they were just taking forever. I thumped my head against the door in frustration.

"…likes you, you know," I heard my sister say through the wood. My stomach dropped. Shit, I hoped that she wasn't talking about me.

If Atem said anything, I didn't hear her but Amane continued to talk, "He's never really taken an interesting someone before. So when he tells you, just…let him down easy, alright."

I frowned and gritted my teeth together. How could my sister say that? She was acting like there wasn't a chance in hell that Atem couldn't like me. I wanted to walk in and shout at Amane. I would have, but Atem was there and I really didn't want to say stuff like that in front of her.

"What makes you say that?" The Immortal asked.

"Well, you're not interested him," my sister said. "He's your student and friend. He's seventeen and you're…well, not. You're too old for him. He should realize that."

Atem didn't say anything for a while; "I'm too old for anyone."

"But you just don't like Ryou. That much is obvious," I could hear Amane smirking.

I didn't hear her answer. The door opened up to reveal Atem. She raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to make a habit of listening in on conversations."

But she wasn't mad. If anything, Atem was a little relieved. Maybe she didn't want to answer Amane's questions. I tried to cover it up, "You were taking a while."

She smiled, relaxed. She turned to my sister, "Thank you for letting me stay here. And for the clothes. Do you want the wig back?"

Amane shook her head, "Nah. It's yours now. Besides, after your last alias was blown, you'll need a new one. Maybe as a brunette."

"Thank you," Atem bowed low.

"You should go by a more female name, " she said. "You look very girly when you have long hair."

"I'll think about it. If you have any suggestions –"

"I'll let you know," Amane grinned.

"I'll see you in two weeks," I told my sister, stepping in and giving her a hug – a drastically different good-bye than what happened last month. Amane hugged me back, just as tightly.

"I want to see what you learn," she told me. "I want to know about magic."

"Alright," I promised her.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you, too," I planted a kiss on her forehead and pulled away, turning and leaving with Atem. She put on her brown wig and descended the stairs with me.

We were just shutting the door when I heard an "Eep!" behind me. Miho stood there, fiddling with the ties on her coat.

"Oh, hey," I stumbled. "Are you here to see, Amane?"

She shook her head and held out her gloved hand, speaking in fractured English, "I…want to…r-return this."

She was holding out the pencil I had given her almost a week and a half ago. She quivered a little as I took it from her slowly, "Thanks."

Miho jerked up and down, turning to leave. I called after her, "Arigato."

She froze, spinning to face me. She stared at me for a second or two. And then Miho smiled a little bit and waved. I waved back as she left.

"Friend of yours?" Atem asked.

"Kind of," I answered. "I literally talked to her for the first time moments before you crash landed here."

"I apologize for interrupting your friend-making possibilities," she said as we walked towards the strip mall. "But then again, I was kind of bleeding."

"Just a little," I joked back, laughing a bit. "So, what did happen? You haven't told me yet. Not really."

Atem hesitated for a moment, glancing around for people. There was no one, "Alright, listen carefully. I'll only tell you this once."

I nodded eagerly. She leaned in, "The President was lying. I did go in there to find him."

"You tried to…!" I almost shouted, but the quested down, "You tried to attack the President? Are you mad?"

"Not attack. Talk," she explained. "I wanted to tell him exactly what he was happening. Zigfried is the first truly free President since Bill. He needed to be warned about the danger in the White House. Though thankfully, I don't think he'll be targeted."

"Targeted? By who?" I questioned.

"He's not going to be targeted, I just explained that," she said a little irritated. "They won't be going after Zigfried because of his son. He's an Other."

"What? No way!" I exclaimed. "What's the kid's name?"

"Leon," Atem said. "Nice kid. Too bad about his mother. She's fallen ill recently. The healers in the large building with the red cross say she might not make it."

"Doctors. And it's a hospital," I corrected her once again.

"Yes. Of course," she rolled her eyes at me.

"So you went to talk to the President about…what danger?" I prodded her.

She frowned and sighed, "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because…" she looked away, "The longer you stay ignorant, the longer you live."

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise," I told her as we turned into the alleyway. I pulled out my phone, "Um…how do you teleport two people at once on this thing?"

"You don't. From what I understand, you can only take one person at a time on those…devices," she explained. "I will be Teleporting separately."

"Oh, so I'll see you there," I smirked as I flicked through my phone apps and chose the PORT option.

"Yes," Atem stepped forwards, touching my free hand with hers for a second and stepped back. Then she disappeared in a whirl of black smoke. I pressed the PORT button and –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

"I'm impressed. Most people still trip out of the Realm, even after using magic for a while," Atem commented on my landing.

I smirked a little, attempting to flirt, "I'm not most people."

"No, you are not," she commented, a little darkly. She fixed her wig, which had been knocked to the side in transit, trying to pull the curls out of her eyes. I reached forward and did it for her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," my stomach fluttered a bit. We stepped out into the light and crossed the street. I pulled her into the elevator before she could take the stairs because I figured that Kaiba would want to see her or something.

I was right. The moment we stepped – or rather, I yanked her into the 'useless metal box' – on, the hundredth floor button lit up and the lift sped towards the top of the building. Atem's breathed hard, clutching at the railing on the walls.

I couldn't believe it, "You're scared of elevators?"

"I do not like these things!" She said stiffly. "They are rickety and unsafe and just a box held up on a pair of strings. What if they snap?"

"They won't. I promise. Kaiba – your son - would make sure of that," I promised her.

She nodded, but continued to grip the railing like she life depended on it. I stepped a little closer to her, trying to conceal my movements. She glanced up at me and edged over to where I was. I laughed nervously.

When the doors opened, the hallway was empty. For the first time, I noticed that there were no cameras in this hallway. There was no way for Atem to be tracked.

We went all the way down to where Kaiba's office and rooms were located. I was halfway through my first knock when the door was flung open and Atem disappeared in a surge of arms and legs, of black and brown hair.

"Mother," I heard Kaiba mumble with a longing I never knew possible from him. He clung to her like he expected Atem to fall through the floor. Mokuba Kaiba wasn't much better.

It was the first time that I had met the younger of the two brothers in person. Mokuba was shorter than Seto, but not by much. He had boyish haircut that made him look more like a college student than a politician, but the suit definitely helped his cause. When he stepped back for a moment and held Atem out at arms length, I could see he had bright – but not as bright as his brother's – blue eyes and a face that was lined with laughter.

"Thank god you're alright," he said, joyously. Then he turned to me, "And you…you're…oh my…I see. You're Bakura."

I remembered that Atem had told the Kaiba brothers stories of my past lives when they were young. I hoped that he wouldn't hold it against me, "Yeah. That's me."

"White hair and red eyes…I thought you were dead," Mokuba tilted his head to the side. "Or at least, gone for good this time."

"I'm not really sure why I'm here, but I'm not really complaining," I shrugged, smiling awkwardly. "Its nice to meet you in person, sir."

The man laughed, "I'm not knighted, so I'm not a sir. Call me Mokuba. And it's nice to finally meet you in person as well."

Kaiba, who had finally detangled himself from his adoptive mother, cleared his throat, "Bakura, I just wanted to say…to thank you for looking after our mother."

A man of few words, he was. But then again, I doubt that Kaiba was used to thanking people for things, "Its fine."

"Good," he nodded. Kisara, who had remained on the sidelines until now, stepped forwards.

"Bakura, would you mind coming with me for a moment?" She motioned towards Kaiba's office. "There's something I need to talk with you about."

I agreed, shyly waving bye to Atem (which she returned, hells yes!). I followed Kisara's delicate steps into the room, sitting down on a chair.

"You have no doubt seen the news footage of what happened last week," she began, crossing her legs as she gracefully sat in an adjacent chair. "I want you to know that your location is still safe for now. However, it will only be a matter of time before they find out where Atem Teleported to. She's gotten very good at hiding her signature over the years, but they will come to Domino City eventually."

"Who are they?" I asked, feeling as if I was purposefully being left out of something major that no one wanted to talk to me about. "If I know what's coming, then I might be able to do something about it."

Kisara looked worriedly at the door, "As Atem given you a bat charm yet?"

"A wha – oh wait," I remembered now. "At Christmas…she gave me – give me a second."

I pulled open my bag and opened the front compartment, rooting around inside for what I was looking for. It was carefully tucked away in a pocket. I pulled out her gift to me, "Yeah, she gave me one."

"I suggest that you wear it on you at all times," Kisara told me. "If you see it glow: run. Run as far away as you can and send a call straight to either myself or Seto. The charm will give you about a five minute head start, but sometimes five minutes is all you need with those monsters."

She reached into the neckline of her blouse and pulled out a similar charm, "Atem gives these to the people on our side in order to protect us."

"A charm to protect you from your enemies," I muttered, repeating the words that Atem had told me when she first gave it to me. "It's hard to realize that I need protecting when I have no idea what I need protecting from."

"Trust me, if you see one, you will know instantly what you need to run from," Kisara sighed. "They are soulless bodies, warped into monsters. And then their creator warps them even more. They turn into creatures of the undead and they simply cannot die.

"However," she continued, "if you do see one, aim for the head. There will be a big glowing target there, you can't miss it."

"Soulless…bodies," I felt a little sick at the thought of it.

"Yes. When a soul is removed from a body without the body dying, the corpse simply starts to…go looking for it," Kisara shuddered. "I've seen a few before. I don't remember much of what happened."

She looked at her hands for a moment and then wiped them on her suit trousers. But I was worried about Amane.

"Do you know where I can get any more of these?"

Kisara raised an eyebrow, "You'll have to ask Atem. She's the one who makes them."

"And let me guess: no one else knows how," I said sarcastically.

"No," she corrected me. "No one else who can is willing to."

I frowned, "Great. Soulless zombie monsters that are looking for their detached spirits. This is so what I wanted to know."

"Well, you did ask. Knowledge is not always pleasant," she told me.

"I know. I figured that out in January," I sighed. "Thanks."

"There's…um, something else," Kisara fidgeted.

"What?"

"I was wondering if I could talk to Touzoku for a moment," she said, eyes hopeful.

I looked at her incredulously. No one had ever asked me to talk to one of the spirits before, "I'll go ask him."

I entered my Soul Room and immediately knew that something was wrong. Dark God was inside, staring at whatever was behind me like it was the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. I hadn't even felt him enter.

"What do you want?"

"Touzoku's door outside is gone," strangely enough, Dark God's voice was steady and strong. And then what he'd said caught up to me.

"What do you mean: gone?"

"Gone. Disappeared. Vanished," his voice cracked. "It faded from the wall like it was never there."

"When was this? Why didn't any of you tell me?"

"Because its not gone – disappeared, vanished - anymore," Dark God pointed behind me. "Its right there. But it's no longer a door."

I turned around, slowly, and couldn't believe my eyes. There was an archway, about the same size as a door, in my wall. From here, I could see into Touzoku's Soul Room: a room with a tatami floor and a futon on the ground. I could see ink paintings on the walls, like a mad man with a brush had attacked them with his drawings.

But the most frightening thing – probably the thing that had scared _Dark God_ of all people so much – was the red line that connected my magical flame to the one inside.

It glowed, in a way reminiscent to boiling hot magma, and was etched right into my floor. I followed it, racing to see if he was all right. Touzoku, god, what had happened to him while I was busy with Atem?

The samurai was staring at one of the paintings on his wall, just out of sight. It was one of a woman with…of course, it would be her. Atem.

"She's fine, you know," I told him. "Everything went fine in the Healing."

"I know," he didn't turn around. "I know everything. I've seen everything – _everything_ – you've seen in the last week and a half. Everything."

"Everything? But I thought –"

"I know what you thought. I can even hear those. Ever since I moved here. Ever since that thing showed up," he turned around, pointing to the line on the ground. "I even know that the woman with the silver hair, Kisara Bleu, wants to speak with me."

"Touzoku…" I wanted to understand what was going on. What was happening to us all?

"I didn't think I would miss this," he said, looking with old eyes at me. "Feeling. Thinking. Seeing her. I could taste her on your lips. It was…wonderful. I'd forgotten what she was like."

"Atem does have that effect on people," I laughed nervously.

"That she does," Touzoku looked upwards. "This woman, do you know what she wants to speak with me about?"

"No," I answered.

"I will find out, then," he stood and bowed low at the waist, hands at his sides. I hastily and sloppily returned it. His eyes narrowed, but left out the archway and into the hall beyond. I could here him speaking to Dark God, "No, you can't. I don't care; you will not touch him just to get this connection. It would drive you madder than you already are."

I sighed, feeling my Necromancy magic activate, leaving me with the feeling of water running out and attaching Touzoku to my body. This was going to get complicated.

* * *

_I_ opened _my_ eyes and looked around, breathing air for the first time in a very long time. It tasted different, false almost. How could air be false, _I_ wondered?

_I_ observed the woman. She was taller than Rica had been and dressed in..._I_ believed that Bakura-sama had called them trousers and a…blouse. They were an interesting choice of garb. _I_ remembered Crazy Girl's complained about the restrictiveness of kimonos. She would probably like this world better.

The woman rose to her feet and bowed low, though it looked incredibly practiced. Her eyes never left _my_ face. I returned the bow.

"You're older than I expected," she said.

_I_ frowned, "_I_ was thirty seven when _I_ passed. _I_ was the eldest."

"I know. I have heard the stories," she whispered, looking at _me_ with…_I_ didn't understand what she was looking at _me_ like that for.

"What did you call _me_ out here for?" _I_ asked.

"There's something I want to tell you. A few somethings," she took a step forward. "You did research on magical healing. Most of it was on those with Overpowers."

"Yes, but how do you know that? Anything that had _my_ name on it would have been destroyed after _my_ death by magic," _I_ inquired.

"But there was someone there who remembered it…who wrote it all down, in her language," the woman spoke gently. "Atem was there. She taught it to me and to all the Healers who came before me. She taught them what you discovered."

_I_ stared at her, face calm while _I_ tried to contain _my_ inner torment, "And what does this have anything to do with wanting to talk to _me_?"

"Your research saved my life," she told _me_. _I_ frowned. She continued, "It helped my condition to become manageable. I know how to control it now. The anger. The…animalistic rage."

Medical curiousity got the better of _me_. _I_ stepped forwards, touching _my_ hand to hers and scanned her magical signature for anomalies – oh. There was a beast within her.

"You're a –"

"Yes. I'm a Berserker."

Of course. _My_ research, all those days and years _I_ had spent studying the Gifted. _I_ had discovered the link between a Berserker's emotion and their rages. _I_ had been the one to realize that by changing the focus of the emotion or the emotion itself, one could calm a Berserker down. _I_ was still…helping people? Yes.

Through her. Through that Crazy Girl. Atem. Would she ever stop surprising _me_? _I_ hoped that she wouldn't.

"There's something else," the woman – Bleu-san – looked me in the eye. "You had children, didn't you?"

"Yes. Two sons. Why?"

"They survived you," she explained and something deep inside _me_ rumbled with the last remnants of fatherhood that _I_ contained. "They had children of their own. Sons and daughters that left the island and traveled west. Eventually, one of your decedents married an English man named Lawson."

"Why are you telling me this?" _I_ asked.

Tears welled in her eyes, "Because my mother's maiden named was Lawson. Caroline Lawson. When she married, she changed her name to Bleu."

The woman slipped her fingers in between _mine_ and wept silently, happily, "So I just want to say thank you. Thank you, grandfather, for helping me to get better."

_I_ couldn't believe it. _I_ had a granddaughter – one that was separated by many a generation, but a granddaughter nonetheless. _I _looked at her face; that was Rica's face. And while Rica had never been beautiful or anything worth paying attention to, the woman…no, Kisara was something that _I_ would never want to let go of.

"You look like _my_ wife," _I_ told her.

Tears of joy began to roll down her face. Had she been anyone else, _I_ would have been ashamed of her show of emotions. But this was something different. This was Kisara. My granddaughter.

_I_ reached up and swept the tears off her face. _I_ smiled slightly, "What is your weapon?"

"My primary's a katana," Kisara spoke through her tears. "And my secondary are a pair of tiger claws."

_I_ placed both of my hands on her shoulders, "Yes. You are truly a member of the Bakura samurai clan."

And with that final acknowledgement, _I_ slipped back into _my_ Soul Room, knowing that _I_ had a legacy left on this earth. Kisara would be _my_ future: the woman that defied her inner beast and became a Healer. Kisara, the woman that contained the heart of _my_ clan.

Though, some part of _me_ saw the loneliness in her eyes and wondered if there was not a little bit of that Crazy Girl inside her as well. Knowing Atem, there probably was.

It would be a nice surprise if it were true.

* * *

I regained my footing in my body again, blinking away the blurry parts of my vision. I looked at Kisara, "What's a Berserker?"

"It's the Combat Overpower," she said a she wiped the tears from her eyes. "When I…get too angry or too anything really…I loose myself in that emotion. I can't control what I do. Back in High School…I shot someone when I was like that. Vernon…he was fourteen years old."

"Oh," there wasn't much more that I could say.

"I just get so angry, but Atem…she helped me. Taught me how to control it. But it was Touzoku who discovered all of it. If it weren't for him…" Kisara looked through me at the samurai within my mind. "I wouldn't be alive. Most Berserkers don't make it into their twenties. I was lucky."

"I…I didn't know…I'm so sorry," I breathed. I didn't know that Overpowers could be so dangerous. I felt that I was the one that got off lucky with what I was able to do. The only thing a Necromancer had to worry about was a spirit walking off with your body.

"Don't be. It's the way I am. I can't help that anymore than you can help the fact that you can see the dead," she sighed. "Thank you Bakura, for letting me see him. I've been trying to track Touzoku down for almost a decade. When I found out we were related…"

"No problem. Am I free to go?" I asked.

"Yes, you are. Thank you," she nodded, dismissing me. I waved and left.

There was no one in the hallway when I opened the door. I slipped into the elevator, pressing the fourth floor button and checked in on Touzoku to make sure he was all right. He responded, telling me that he was fine and that he was the Master Healer, not me. He could take care of himself. I gave him the mental version of the bird. He had no idea what sticking up your middle finger meant, so the effect was lost on him.

When the lift opened, I stepped out, walking to my room. Along the way, a door opened behind me and someone I really didn't like walked out.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the student of the terrorist," Valon drawled. His two friends, Raphael and Alister, stood behind him like imposing bodyguards.

"What do you want?" I growled, handed itching towards my knife, which, out of paranoia, I had started to keep on my arm in the week that Atem had stayed with me.

"I'm surprised you're still here, that's all," Alister sneered. It was lovely to see that he had such an opinion of me already. This was the first time he'd said anything to my face. "I can't believe they haven't kicked you out. Who knows that Yugi Mutuo was really teaching you in those private lessons?"

"You leave her out of this!" I shouted, hissing through my teeth.

"Is that a hint of protectiveness I hear? Don't tell me you actually care about her? Atem's a fucking maniac. She'll kill you, like she killed all the other people over the years," Valon laughed. "Or maybe she'll end up turning you into her little bitch."

"Shut up!" I snapped, hands curling into a fist.

"All talk and no bite, that's what you are," he continued to taunt me, that asshole. "Tell me, is Atem as good in the battle field as she is in bed?"

That was the straw that broke the preverbal camel's back. As they started to laugh, I burst forwards, grabbing Valon by the wrist and –

_Emperor Go-Shirakawa screamed beneath my rage as his skin burned and _–

I called upon my Medicine magic, but this time it was different. It was angry and painful and full of hatred and the thought-smell of death in a hospital bed flooded my mind. This bastard had insulted Atem, insulted the only girl I'd ever liked and he had to pay for that.

Valon yelped and wrenched his arm away from me, clutching it in pain. A burn, shaped like a handprint was etched into his skin.

"What the hell did you do to me, you damn Necromancer?" He screamed. People had started to come out of their rooms to watch, forming a circle that I was all too familiar with. What do you know? Atlantis had sharks too.

Alister was next, rushing in and attempting to grab me, but –

_Remember what the former Emperor said: aim for the _–

I swept to the side, turning as I went, pressing my hand onto his hip for a second, releasing magic and jolting his nerves, sending his leg into a twitching frenzy. Alister collapsed on the ground and I had to get out of the way quickly to avoid Raphael and his goddamn fucking axe of doom.

"What the hell is this?" A woman's voice called out and I heard the click of high heals approaching. "Leave Bakura alone, you bastard!"

"That Necromancer had it coming. Didn't you see what he did to Valon, Mai?" Raphael cried. "Who do you think taught him that? That terrorist who's teaching him. That whore of an immortal."

"Shut your mouth or I'll cut out your tongue!" I shouted at him.

"And now he's talking in gibberish. What else do you think he knows? What else do you think he can do? He's a freak." Alister snapped. I tensed up. Freak. No. Not again.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Mai and Mana, looking very worried. I scoffed at my attackers, turning my back on them and following my friends out. They led me into their room, locking the door. Marik was there.

"What the hell happened out there?" Mai screamed at me, "How did you learn all that stuff? No one's ever used Medicine magic as an offensive magic before, not in all of history. How did you burn Valon's arm?"

"He what?" Marik jumped up, shouting. "Did they attack you again? And you did what?"

Mana gasped, "What's going on? Bakura?"

"And then there's this thing with Atem. I thought that Kaiba wouldn't let dangerous people in," Mai started to pace.

Tell them, Bakura-sama, Touzoku said. It's all right. The others agree as well.

I sighed, "There's something I need to tell you, guys. Some of it Marik already knows. But…this is really important."

And I did. I told them. I told them everything about the spirits and Atem, about what happened over the last week (minus the kissing bit). I even told them about Amane; they were most shocked about her.

When I finally fell silent, nothing was said. And then Mai said, "You had her…Atem…at your house while the entire world was out searching for her."

"Yep," I returned.

"I don't know whether to marvel at your genius or punch you in the nuts," she muttered, staring at the ceiling as she did.

"I'm really hoping for the first option here," I complained.

"Marik? You knew about this?" Mana whispered.

"Some. I mean, I knew about his reincarnations living in his head, but that's pretty much it," he answered. "I didn't know about what they were. And as for Atem staying at his house…shit, Bakura. You really know how to get into trouble."

"I don't try to," I sighed. "It just seems to find me."

"So let me get this straight," Mai tried to wrap her mind around the concept of me…well, being me. "You were originally born back in the day when the Mayans were flourishing and was bought as a slave by Atem – who is a princess, right?" I nodded and she continued, "Something happened and you died. Atem tried to bring you back to life and was cursed in the process.

"Then, for some inadequately explored reason, you then proceeded to reincarnate and have said reincarnations trapped in your skull," she sounded exasperated. "Your dream about your first life, can have your past lives possess you, and weird lines pop up on your skin when you…what did you say: merge with them?"

"Pretty much."

"And I'm not even going to go into your sister because that's just fucking ridiculous and insane," Mai looked back up at the ceiling. I think she was praying – for what I don't know.

I bit my lip, "I think I absorbed a bit of Touzoku's powers when I merged with him."

"And he's not done yet! There's still more weird stuff!" She huffed, throwing her hands up.

"I'm serious," I told them. "During the fight right now. I didn't know how to do that before, but now it just happens. I just remembered being trained to do that by an Emperor and I somehow managed to take down Alister. I don't understand!"

I let out a ragged sigh, placing my head in my hands. I heard one of the chairs scrape back as someone stood up. A gentle hand was placed on my shoulder.

"You're scared, aren't you?" Mana asked. I looked up at her and made a face. She smiled softly, "I can understand if you were. I'd be pretty scared too, if it was happening to me. But I'm going to have to go with Marik on this one."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"She means that she's not abandoning you," Marik explained. "Remember? I promised you that I'd stand beside you."

"And I will as well," Mana nodded. "You're the first person I met here, in this world. And we're friends. I don't abandon my friends, no matter how many voices they have in their heads."

I didn't know what to say. The words were just caught in my throat, unwilling to come out. Mana…Marik…they weren't going to run? Even though I was the freak? Even though such strange things were happening to me?

I should be used to this by now, this acceptance. I wasn't, though. I doubt I ever would be.

Mai spoke one last time, "You're really telling the truth, aren't you?"

I nodded soberly before my vision was filled with curls of blonde hair.

"We'll keep your secret," she whispered in my ear. "Promise."

I gripped at her shirt, "Thanks."

* * *

Kisara wasn't lying. She really is related to Touzoku. And she really is a Berserker.

Kisara Bleu was born into a relatively wealthy family in Union City, California. They were part of the oil market and made a killing off of the profits in that industry. They weren't the nicest of people, even to those without the Ward hanging over them.

She was the middle child, with one older brother and a younger sister. Apparently, Kisara was supposed to have an even younger sister, but the girl never made it out of the delivery room. Something about a hole in her heart.

She was always the quiet child, but for different reasons than she is now. Kisara realized early on that she was dangerous when she got mad. When she was young, her older brother stole her Barbie dolls and then proceeded to play 'Nude Beach' with them. Apparently, she stabbed him in the shoulder with a fork in retaliation. She still can't remember doing it, but she was five years old at the time. That might have something to do with it.

But as she got older, the anger within her simply increased. When she was ten and a girl made fun of her hair, Kisara leapt at her and ripped her earrings out. She had to change schools afterwards, though it was only her parent's money that kept her out of any legal trouble.

It continued to escalate until her sixteenth year, where she shot and killed someone as her school for dosing her with water (Kisara was wearing a thin white shirt that day and there were a bunch of perverted teenaged boys around). She wasn't caught because she ran away and never returned home, living on the streets of two years and hiding from humanity.

And then she came to Atlantis.

Kisara managed hid her Overpower from nearly everyone. Nearly, of course, meaning that someone discovered what she truly was. Luckily for her, it was Seto Kaiba. And the first thing he did was put her in touch with his adoptive mother.

Atem taught her how to manage her emotions, how to curb her impulse to kill. She was understanding and caring, something that made Kisara burst out into tears because – finally – she didn't believe that she was a monster.

She and Kaiba became inseparable shortly afterwards. Though that might have had something to do with the fact that Kisara was crushing on him so freaking bad at that point. And Kaiba, being the emotional dunce that he is, never found out until several years later. Idiot, for not realizing that he had a hot girl waiting for him to sweep her off her feet and –

…You know, I'm going to stop writing now. I'm going to make a complete fool of my self for being so hypocritical.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank all those who posted reviews for the last chapter: Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, ilovemanicures, Malik'sStalker, AsianWolf, Kyo's 1 lover, and Akikee.**

**If you remember from chapter 6, I mentioned that there was a Berserker living at Atlantis at the time of Bakura staying there. Well, here's your answer as to who it is: Kisara. She's been through a lot, but I'd like to think that it has made her stronger.**

**I know that I've been posting in really quick succession with the past few updates. That's mainly because I'm really excited about almost ending The First Year. I write three chapters in advance for this story and I'm almost in May, which is the month where I am planning to put in the epic ending scenes. However, recently Amane has been on the brain so I believe that The Abnormal will get another update as I love where her character is going and her relationship with the God. So look out for that next.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can leave a review, post on my forum, or drop me a PM.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	26. Fluffy and Cute and Disturbing

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 26: Fluffy and Cute and Disturbing**

_Thursday, March 16th, 2017_

Things were difficult at Atlantis now. People were whispering behind my back, like they did for years at Domino. They didn't say anything to my face because they'd all seen what I'd done to Valon. Touzoku had explained it to me why those attacks had been so deadly: they were done through Medicine magic and were therefore unable to be healed through Medicine magic. He would have to recover the old fashion way.

However, I didn't understand how I even knew how to do that kind of magic. I'd consulted Thief King, because he'd figured out how to merge in the first place, so he must have had a theory on what was happening. He'd been a bit frustrated when I mentioned it, sitting on the fur pelts in his ice-cold igloo of a Soul Room.

"I'm not quite sure, either," he said, long hair tumbling in front of his face in a frighteningly similar way to how mine did. "Though I've begun to think that there is something different about you. I don't think you're a regular reincarnation, Leader."

"What about the lines that showed up?" I asked him.

"Again, I don't know. That's something else to think about. But I don't think they're natural. They felt different, all the way from here."

I hadn't seen Atem since Sunday. I'd asked Kaiba and Kisara about her, but they kept saying that she was busy. I waited in the Combat room at our regular time for Necromancy classes, but she never showed. I was getting really worried.

I was alone in my room, just after breakfast and waiting for Enchantment to end, when there was a knock on the door. It was probably Marik; he'd forgotten his favorite leather jacket on his chair again. He'd probably come in and get it.

But then there was a second set of knocks, which made me break from my silent staring contest with the ceiling. I frowned, "Come in."

Atem opened the door, wearing one of Amane's old tank tops and a pair of ripped jeans, "Hey."

"Hey," I scrambled to my feet, almost knocking myself out on the top bunk. "Uh...how are you?"

"I've been sick," she explained. "The flu finally decided to come visit me."

"Flu season's over," I raised an eyebrow.

"Disease rarely sticks to a season with me," she sighed.

"I've been meaning to talk to you," I took a step forward, rolling up my sleeve and showing her the bat charm that was hanging on a string around my wrist. "You gave me one of these around Christmas. Kisara explained to me what it was for." I tried to ignore the dark look that passed over Atem's face when I said that, "I was wondering if I could get another one for Amane."

She blinked, "Ah, of course. I'll start on it right away. But...there is something I want to discuss with you, too."

Atem grabbed my desk chair, rolling it over to where I had been seated moments before on my bed. We sat together.

"I saw what you did to Valon Cincin," she started off. "I need you to explain exactly what you did to heal me, Bakura. I know that Touzoku guiding you would not have been enough to save me. And that burn on that boys arm was a crude imitation, but it's something that he used to use while we were at war."

I bit my lip. I'd been thinking about this for a while. Atem was hiding information from me, information that might get my sister and myself killed. She wanted to know something and I needed to know what she did. It was time that I leveled the playing field a bit.

"I've got an idea," I leaned forward. "Let's play a little game."

"I haven't got time for games," she looked frustrated.

I continued on, "It's simple. We each take turns asking each other questions. You get what you want. I get what I want."

"And what do you want?"

"Answers. Not a lot, just a few. Enough to keep my sister safe."

Atem looked for a moment like she would get up and leave. But after a minute of staring me down and me looking back with unwavering steadiness, she gave in, "Fine. But I get to go first."

"Deal."

"How did you heal me?" She asked.

"I merged with Touzoku," I told her. She gasped.

"How?"

"Not your turn," I reprimanded her. "Its mine. How can someone track your magic to discover where you landed?"

"They can track my magical signature," Atem's answer was just as short and to the point as my own was. If I wanted more information out of her, I would have to give more myself. "How did you merge with Touzoku?"

"It was Thief King's idea," I told her. "He thought that if one of the spirits were to touch me while we were in my Soul Room, it would increase our collective power. Instead, Touzoku and I...sort of became the same person. I was both him and myself at the same time. And I knew how to heal you. It was like removing arrow heads that had snapped off the shaft."

She digested this for a moment and then nodded, indicating that she was ready for my next question, "What's a magical signature?"

"It's the particular shade of magic that you're given," she said. "Its the literal colour of your magic. Mine is maroon and yours is bright red - they could easily be confused for each other, if Trackers are put on our tails. Your...devices scan for them whenever you try to access anything about magic. What did you see while you were merged with Touzoku? Memories, perhaps?" Atem looked a little worried about the last one.

"Yeah. I saw some stuff..." I blushed at the memory that had cropped up of Touzoku...and her...having...sex. Yeah, um, that was awkward. "You've got a sort of burn-scar thing on your stomach."

She raised an eyebrow and I continued, completely embarrassed, ears burning red, "He commented on it...while he was licking..." I couldn't continue, groaning and hiding my face. I spoke a little louder than I wanted to, trying to change the conversation topic right now! "How do you track a magical signature?"

"You have to be very in tune with the realm to do it. Dark God was a master at it, though anyone who's competent in Summoning is somewhat capable of managing it. You search of the presence of the Shadow Realm outside of the Shadow Realm...it's not a very good explanation for it, but it's the best I've got. I was never very good at it, unless I'd been around the person for many years," Atem scratched the back of her head. "And even then, rather I'm hit and miss."

I nodded slightly as my face stopped resembling a freaking tomato. And then she asked, "What else happened? I can't really remember much and I don't like having blank spaces in my memories."

"I healed you. I took you home and we just...fell asleep together because I was so exhausted," I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "And then there was..." I trailed off, not knowing how to fraise what I wanted to say. I held out my hand, palm down, "There were lines on my skin."

"What?" I didn't even count Atem's exclamation as a question. I just wanted to know what was happening to me.

"They were red, like tattoos, but I've never gotten a tattoo before so that can't be it. And they were on the same lines as my bones." I traced my fingers over the hard lines in my hands to indicate where red had been. "They were on my ribs, too. Do you know what they are?"

"Did they glow?" She asked, voice shaking.

"No. They were like they'd been tattooed onto my skin," I repeated. I saw her frown.

"Then...no, it's not that then...I don't know what they are."

"But you've seen something similar before," it wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

"Something...a long time ago. But they glowed back then, so it's probably something different. Bones," she began, "are the part of the body that is most intimately connected to the soul. The brain comes close, but our bones channel our actual power. That's why they're the last things to loose their features after the soul leaves the body. Maybe it was something to do with that...I don't understand..."

We just sat there for a moment, trying to think up an explanation for the weird lines that had appeared. At one point, Atem grabbed my hand and ran her fingers over my bones, feeling every joint and ridge. I forgot whose turn it was to ask a question, so I just randomly voiced mine, "What's so special about bones?"

"It's how your soul connects with your body - anchoring itself in reality. That's what Morgana figured out, anyways," she didn't look up, but continued to examine my hand. "It's why bones are so important in a lot of ceremonies in different religions. Even Normals can see the future from them, if they know what to look for."

"That's pretty amazing," I muttered.

"Indeed," Atem's eyes flicked upwards. "I assume your new knowledge came from some sort of bleed-over effect from your merging. But those lines...they're still bothering me. What could they mean?" She mumbled a bit in her language, though she must have forgotten not to translate a few words. She said something about her father.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, standing up, "Well, if this is the case, you're going to have to learn to use it."

"Huh?" I grunted ever so elegantly.

"You need to learn to control what powers you have now. If you can cause burns by simply acting on instinct in a small scuffle, I'd hate to see the damage you could do in Combat class. Touzoku was a brutal fighter, even for a Healer. He knew the human body better than anyone I've ever met; he could pick it apart with complete ease. The last thing you would want," her jaw clenched, "is to cause one of your friends' arms to fall off, if you were to spar them."

I could hear Touzoku laughing in the background of my mind. I inwardly told him to shut the hell up, that's not even funny even though it kind of is.

"When is this going to happen?" I asked.

"Right now," she smirked and I realized that - oh dear god - I was probably going to have to spar her. Atem, the Immortal, the woman who raised Seto Kaiba into a complete and utter sadist. The person who'd totally kicked my ass a few days ago.

I was so fucking doomed.

* * *

_Sunday, March 18th, 2017_

I was still in pain from Thursday's battle with Atem. I thought I'd have some sort of advantage from my dreams, considering that I'd once fault her to a standstill there. I was wrong. So very wrong.

I was nowhere near her level. Part of me wondered if I ever would be. But, if anything had come out of that terrifying few hours of running for my life, dodging like a madman, and generally getting beaten to a bloody pulp, it was that I completely understood that Kaiba was taking it easy on us. If he went through that growing up, he was allowed to work us to the bone in Combat like he did. This was ten times worse. Easily.

Atem was freakishly fast and always managed to get into my blind spot when I wasn't looking. She attacked from behind, not like a coward, but because it was the smart thing to do. If she couldn't find an opening on the front, she simply made one behind. And then there was the issue of power. Despite her tiny little body, she packed one hell of a punch.

And a kick. And a head but. That last one was not fun.

But her complete mastery of magic was something that still had me in complete awe. Atem had not only used Combat magic during our fight, but effortless switched between branches, using Morphing magic to have the ground move under my feet and Illusions to trick me into thinking that I knew where she was. And then she had some weird Summon creature attack me. I didn't know what it was, but it was fluffy and cute and disturbing.

As I gingerly sat down at the table our group of friends claimed as our own in the cafeteria, Mana looked up from her bowl of delicious chocolate ice-cream, "Are you sure you don't want to get that bruise of yours checked out? It's turned a really nasty shade of...I'm not sure what that colour is supposed to be but it's not natural."

"I'm fine. Besides, I'm not going to check myself into the nurse's office, not when both Valon and Alister in there. They'd find a way to kill me in my sleep and make it look like an accident."

Valon had to visit Kisara daily for his burn. Alister on the other hand made the mistake of trying to break into my room while I was sleeping. Marik, who was a lighter sleeper than I, woke up and lashed out with Enchantment magic. I found out that he hadn't been joking around on the first day I met him, saying that he could make someone think that they were an elephant. Kisara was having a hard time keeping Alister from walking on his hands and knees, let alone attempting to drink with his nose.

From what Moto had told the two of us afterwards, we weren't going to get in any trouble. We were defending ourselves, so we were in the clear. Alister already had a few complains against him by fellow students from previous years and was facing some legal troubles in an actual court. He was going to be reprimanded. And watched, I learned from what I'd 'overheard' a few minutes later.

I was not making a habit of eavesdropping. Shut up.

"You're completely insane, sparing with..." Marik hissed, knowing that we were not supposed to speak of Atem's presence anymore. Officially, Atem was no longer staying at Atlantis. "For obvious reasons," Moto had said as he addressed us early last week. Only the three people that were sitting with me knew the truth.

"I know, but at the same time, it's kind of fun," I grinned slightly.

"You're a masochist," he raised an eyebrow.

I probably was, actually.

"But think about the advantages!" Mai seemed almost giddy, a far cry from the person who once was very nervous about the fact that Atem was anywhere near her. "she - uh...you know who is one of the best fighters in the world. Even if you're just getting beaten up, you're still learning to adapt to everything that's been thrown at you."

"You're both insane," Marik sighed again. "Mana, back me up here!"

Mana rolled her eyes, "I'll agree with you, Marik, that it's sounds pretty crazy. But Mai is right too. And maybe...maybe it's for the best. If you're having things...come over from you're past memories, then it's best that you learn how to use them properly."

She nodded as she finished, flipping her long brown hair out of her face and continuing to eat her ice cream. Marik seemed to mentally stall for a moment when he saw a small bit of chocolate dribbling out of her mouth. I wanted to tease him, but knew that he would only throw it all back at me. He had much more ammo on me then I did on him.

"I wish I could watch...or even have a few rounds against her myself," Mai sounded wistful.

"Be my guest. That is, of course, if you like the feeling of getting stepped on by a herd of rampaging bison early in the morning," the sarcasm was layered on really thick in my voice. But she simply continued to daydream about the possibility of fighting Atem one day. Women were all crazy, I tell you.

* * *

_Monday, March 13th, 2017_

Women were absolutely, positively insane. And guys like me who just happened to like them were even worse.

I realized this inevitable fact as Atem went into my mind and made me punch myself in the face. It was kind of mean of her, but I understood what she was trying to get me to do. Get me pissed enough that I would draw from Touzoku's memories again. But the thing was, I was already pissed beyond all belief. I just didn't want to use that power.

On Valon, I could easily give into those memories. But on Atem...the idea of permanently scaring her was not something I wanted to act on. I was completely insane.

She collected electricity from the lamps above us in her hands, the light flickering across her face at odd angles, "Defend yourself, Bakura! Why aren't you fighting back?"

"I'm not getting any memory flashes," I yelled back, rolling to the side in an attempt not to get electrocuted - mental note to self: find out how to do that from her. It looked awesome.

The truth was, though, I was getting memory flashes, but they were just in the wrong areas. They were of simple things, like the fact that Touzoku's eldest son was named Tsutomu and his youngest, Yoshitaka. And then there were a few memories of him painting, but that was about it.

But Atem wasn't satisfied with my answer, "Am I just wasting my time here, Bakura? Should I just leave? Because this is getting ridiculous. If you aren't going to fight me, if you aren't going to get better, then I'll leave." She pulled a bow - her bow, the one from my dreams - and arrow from nowhere and pointed it at me, "This is your last chance. I have better things to do."

No.

This was what got me angry. Atem was not allowed to dismiss me like this. I was strong and powerful. I had the knowledge in my head, I just had to -

_"It's pretty simple. Magic is all around us, even in the air," the girl twirled a single hashi with her fingers. "You just have to..." she paused, making her voice seem sultry and low. A shiver ran down my spine - you're a married man, Touzoku, don't forget that - and she continued, "reach in and take what you want -_

The memory flooded into my mind, along with the power that came with it. It was just like before, back when I was fighting Valon and Alister. I reached into my magic, pulling the familiar Summoning magic from the flame within my soul. I used it to tug at the Realm and how it connected to the world I lived in, reaching in and yanking and -

A sword appeared in my hands and I quickly used it to deflect the incoming arrow (which was on fire; the Crazy Girl lit it on fire, holy crap). My eyes widened in time with Atem's. She lowered her weapon and stood down.

"You...that's...oh..." she stuttered. My breath shook as I glanced down at the sword in my hand. It was a katana and it was beautiful.

It shown in the artificial light, the proud blade gleaming in a slightly curved line. The grip was solid and comfortable in my hands. It looked brand new but something told me it wasn't.

And that something's name was Touzoku.

That's mine, he whispered, surprised. But how? I never put it back in the Realm. I died with it in hand. And Rica would never have...she wasn't magical...unless, but no - would she?

"Stop muttering and say something," I growled at him. Atem accidentally dropped her bow.

"You're speaking with him?"

"Yeah, I can do that - Touzoku, quit your rambling you're giving me a headache," I shouted. "God, I'll ask her if you shut up for a second. Atem?" I turned back to her, waving the katana, "Did you put this back in the Realm after Touzoku died?"

"I - yes, I did, but I also..." she blushed, looking down and tried to pick up her bow. I said tried because the first few times, her shaking hands couldn't hold on to the wood. I went over to help, kneeling down and reaching towards it. Our hands brushed and we both jerked back at the same time.

"Sorry," I laughed nervously.

"It's alright," Atem looked anywhere but my face. She sighed, "I used it."

"Huh?"

"The katana. The _Dark Sanctuary_. I've used it on and off over the years," she didn't seem proud of that fact. "Rica-san told me that I should keep it. She didn't want it."

She wouldn't, Touzoku mumbled. And neither of my sons would have taken it. But I'm glad it saw some use. In her hands.

"He says that he's happy that you have it," I told Atem.

"He is?" She smiled sadly, "He said that he was happy?"

"Well, he said glad but -"

"He rarely said that he felt anything. Only when he was truly overjoyed or incredibly saddened could you get any idea of what he was feeling," Atem let out a small laugh. "To know that, after all these years...

"I kept them all," she continued. "Not just the _Dark Sanctuary_. Just like I kept their gifts. Their weapons - I kept them. Fought with them. Used them. In memory of them. I just didn't know whether they'd approve, but now..."

"Now you know," I finished her sentence for her.

"It's relieving, to say the least," she let out another laugh.

I offered it back the katana back to her, "Here."

"No," she shook her head. "It's time that its true owner used it again."

"But...are you sure?"

She smiled, "I'm not the person you should be asking permission from."

If you scratch it, I'm going to find a way to block these memories, Touzoku threatened. I'll be watching.

"Does this thing have the same spell on it as my knife?" I asked.

"It has. I added it after his...death. Touzoku never let me touch it while he was alive. Game Master was one of the few who even let me near his weapon."

Depends on the 'sword' you're talking about, Soul Steeler snickered in the back of my mind. I turned red again.

"Do I want to know why you're blushing?" Atem smirked.

"Not particularly."

"Good, now," she stood, grabbing her bow, "defend yourself."

"What?" And then I swore, because she brought down her bow like a club, aiming for my head. I blocked it with the dull side of the _Dark Sanctuary_. I spun on my heal, trying to knock her legs out from underneath her. She leapt up, giving me enough time to right myself and get into a defensive stance.

We must have sparred for a good half hour after that, but this time it was different. Not because of the memory flashes, but because I was actually starting to have a little fun. There were some points (they were few and far between) where I put Atem on the defensive. Mai was right: I was adapting. And I was becoming a greater fighter because of it.

I was so gonna be able to kick ass later in Combat.

* * *

_Something was wrong with the Children of Toltex. I'd missed a few meetings, but it wasn't hard to tell the difference in the air. There was confidence and a feeling of purpose amongst the Shamans there, like something big was about to happen._

_I pulled Atem closer to me, trying to play the part of loving husband - that still made my breath quicken - as we took a seat. Dartz wasn't here. He was at some meeting with the king. I didn't like him when he was here, but at the same time, if he was with Acalan, then he was discussing something to do with the treaty. Something to do with Atem's marriage to that bastard._

_The nearing started, with the usual talk of revolution. But this too was different, because this time they spoke of plans and of places where specific people needed to be. They had a map of the entire palace, even the secret tunnels that only slaves used. That was insider information._

_Atem gripped my arm, whispering, "They've got a spy in the palace."_

_Part of me wondered why I considered that to be bad. I had originally hated that damn place, but now it had almost become home. I hadn't had a place to call home since my family was killed._

_It left me worried and feeling sick. Atem couldn't sleep, pacing around her room and staring out the window like it would solve all of her problems._

_"Who could it possibly be?" She said finally._

_"I've got no idea. But it would be hard to sneak someone into this place. The security is so tight here," I was equally as frustrated._

_"It's just...if the spy is working for one of the Children, then..." she paused, then turned to me looking scared. "Bakura, what if the spy is a member? What if the spy has a Gift?"_

_To be honest, I'd already come to that conclusion myself. But then Atem carried on, making me realize that we could be facing something much, much worse._

_"What if it's a Shape Changer?" She whispered, "Like the one that killed my grandfather."_

_I paled, "Atem, did they ever catch that Shape Changer?"_

_"No. Father had the city and the countryside searched for years during the Purges. There was no evidence anywhere. It was like the Shape Charger disappeared into thin air," she ran a hand through her hair._

_"Atem?" My voice was surprisingly calm, considering what I was thinking, "Your father checked the city and the country. Did he check inside the palace?"_

_"What kind of question is that?" She snapped, "Of course he would have."_

_"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure that King Acalan, the most arrogant, stuck up noble who's never set a foot in the real world, would think to check inside his own stronghold?" I stood up and approached her._

_Atem's frown dropped as she slowly began to think; "He never said anything about checking the palace. Why?"_

_I swallowed hard, "Your father found nothing outside the palace. What if he found nothing because nothing was there? What if the Shape Changer never left?"_

_"Kukulcan, give me strength," she prayed. "But that means...for over thirty five years...?"_

_"It's been waiting for the right time to strike. Just watching and waiting to make a move. I highly doubt that the Death Touch we met before stepped out of hiding just for the fun of it. He wanted to parade your death in the streets."_

_"The Children want to overthrow the monarchy," Atem gasped. "What better time to do it when the king is paranoid of everything that breathes and the only heir won't be able to take over because she's going to get married off."_

_"Oh gods," I breathed, realizing just what we'd walked into. There was nothing said between us for several minutes. And then I spoke once more, "We can't trust anyone. Only each other. Not until we know how the Shape Change really is."_

_It was a promise. We were in this together, to the end._

_As I lay curled up on my patch of the floor, gazing at the moon as the goddess made her nightly rounds across the sky, I heard a rustling in the bed behind me. Then a blanket was tossed unceremoniously on top of me and Atem slid in underneath it, pressing her warm body against mine. I tensed._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Sleep with me tonight."_

_"What?" My voice cracked._

_"Sleep with me. I'm scared. I don't want to be alone."_

_"Atem, I -" Was she saying what I thought she was saying?_

_Apparently not, "It's either sleeping here or in my bed and the latter isn't very proper."_

_I let out the breath I was holding, though I don't know whether it was in relief or disappointment. If me sleeping in her bed wasn't proper, then what in the world was this supposed to be? I muttered, "You're going to be the death of me."_

_She wrapped her arms around my body, "I'll make it up to you. I promise. One day, you'll be a free man and you will be able to do whatever you want. I'll give you that."_

_"What are you talking about?" I wanted to turn around, but her arms kept me in place._

_"Never mind," I could feel her moving a little closer to me, draping one of her legs over mine. "Go to sleep."_

_It took me a while to do that; I didn't think that anyone could blame me for that. Every part of my body that touched her's felt like it was on fire and every part that wasn't was frozen solid. Atem's breath on my skin was incredibly distracting. I could feel the soft swell of her breasts against my back and had to fight off images of other things that we could do - many mutually gratifying things, but no that was wrong and wouldn't happen but I wanted to so badly._

_It wasn't just about sex and that was the frightening bit. That was all that it had been with Ix Chel. Just sex, just the stuff that you do in dark corners of corridors before fixing your clothes and not really talking about it afterwards. That was it._

_There were moments, though, when I'd stare at nothing and imagine a world where I wasn't a slave and Atem wasn't of royal blood. We were free to do whatever we wanted, be whoever we wanted to be. Care for who we wanted to care for. Marry who we -_

_Wait. Marry? Marry...Atem?_

_I'd be lying if I said that the thought hadn't crossed my mind. But marriage was a huge step, an even larger one in a relationship that was destined to never occur. Marriage meant settling down, finding a place to live, having children..._

_Dartz's children. Atem would be having Dartz's children, not mine. Because she was going to marry him, but what if?_

_What if we kept it a secret? What if we fled the country? What if we eloped and never looked back?_

_Those questions, all of them, would haunt me and plague me all night. And the worse part was..._

_I liked the idea of it all._

* * *

_Thursday, March 23rd, 2017_

Mahad, once everyone in class had managed to break his Illusions, had moved onto invisibility. It involved creating an exact replica of the environment around you, just without you in it. You had to layer magic onto off your self and around you so that it blended seamlessly into the background.

Surprise, surprise: Mana was the first first year to get it. Even larger surprise: I was the second.

I liked Illusion class, well enough. It wasn't Combat, which had started to get easier. And it definitely wasn't Summoning, where I'd added a fourth monster to my ever-growing group of companions. The Witch of the Black Forest was yet another girl-monster that Sangan had actively tried to set me up with. I'd apologized to her for the orange puffball's antics. She's laughed, dark hair falling over the third eye in the middle of her forehead, and said that she was already married to The Arcanite Magician, whoever (or whatever) that was.

The Witch was pretty nice, though she had a tendency to burst out into strange dances. She'd spun around the room, chanting under her breath at one point. When I asked her later, she said that she was speaking Celtic. How a Shadow Creature learned Celtic, I would never know.

But I liked invisibility. I practiced it all night, sometimes sneaking up on Marik and scaring the crap out of him. It was funny, right up until he 'accidentally' shot me with his twin handguns. Thankfully, he didn't use bullets, but compressed bursts of his magic. Unfortunately, that still hurt a lot.

Brat.

* * *

_Saturday, March 25th, 2017_

I was in Mai's room when there was an ever-familiar knock on the door. Mana halted her conversation with Marik that was about a certain dream she'd had lately ("So there was a massive explosion in one of the Brazilian slave trade ports? That's why they stopped the trade there?" "Yeah, it looked like the freaking atomic bomb when I saw it. Practically set the clouds on fire."), to shout, "It's open. You can come in."

And as Dark God's cackles shrunk into the black nothingness in the recesses of my mind - why would he be laughing at the slave trade of all things? - and Atem stepped into the room.

I immediately got to my feet, thinking that it was me that she wanted to speak to, "Hey."

"Hello," she nodded curtly, looking around the room, from face to bewildered face, before focusing on, "Mai."

Mai raised an eyebrow, but left her seat on the desk to approach the smaller woman, "Yeah. What's up?"

"I need to speak with you. Do you mind?" Atem asked. Mai frowned for a moment and then sighed.

"Look, can you all leave for a moment?"

I blinked. This wasn't about me? Atem wanted Mai? And Mai didn't want us to hear what was going on? What the hell was happening?

I wanted to argue, but Mana dragged me out of the room and down the hall into the one I shared with Marik. My roommate wasn't far behind.

"What was that all about?" Marik asked.

"Atem comes sometimes before we head off and talks to Mai," Mana explained. "I don't what for, but Mai always looks pretty grim when she comes back. She usually stays quiet and cleans her rifle for a while."

"Bakura, has Atem mentioned anything about this to you?" Marik questioned, looking very worried.

"No. She hasn't told me anything," I said, feeling a little annoyed about that fact.

"Mai doesn't usually use her weapon in Combat class," Mana bit her lip. "She's a sniper. She holds the current record for the longest shot in Canada. What if she's being used because of it?"

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

She rubbed one of her arms, shifting from side to side, "Mai never really goes into detail about what she and her master do during the two weeks that we're not here - not like you do, Marik. It makes me wonder if she's really doing what she says she doing. So I over the winter break, I..." She looked to the side, like she was really scared. Marik took a protective step forwards and actually put a trembling hand on her shoulder.

"What?" His voice was comforting and gave her strength. Mana cleared her throat.

"Mai once said that her master's name was Megan Hollingshead. So I looked the woman up on Google and..." Mana curled up on herself a little, "Guys, Megan Hollingshead died two years ago, when a Via Train derailed near Edmonton. The thing is, Bella Hudson also died it that crash."

Marik clearly recognized the name, but I didn't. He filled me in, "Bella Hudson was Mai's step mother. The one that -"

"Married her dad for his money and left her penniless. Yeah, she told me about that," I remembered that conversation we'd had over tea. "Mai transferred here two years ago. You don't think that had anything to do with it, do you?"

"Mai is one powerful Other," Marik's hand clenched at his side, the other fisting the fabric of Mana's sweater. "She's the best at Combat here, outside of the teachers and even then that's kind of debatable. And I know something is up here. My sister never wanted to become a teacher. But she's here anyways and I don't think for a moment that that doesn't have to do with the fact that she's a Seer."

"Kisara's a Berserker," I admitted, getting a startled gasp out of the two of them. "Kaiba's freaky strong and connected to people through his brother. I know Mahad's in on this as well; I just don't know where he fits in. Then there's Atem and she's on a whole other level. And Atlantis has somehow got a hold of a Combat protégé and they're training up a new Necromancer. Is it just me, or does it seem like they're collecting really powerful Others?"

"It's not just that. Haven't you noticed how the teachers refer to things in class?" Mana started, "They talk about the enemy or the opponent, and not just in Combat. In Illusions, Mahad talked about hiding yourself from 'Your assailant.' Who uses the word assailant anymore, outside of describing an attacker of some sort?"

"And Ishizu's always attempting to See things, whenever she has free time. Whenever she has a break, she just sits at her desk with a pen and paper, saying 'Ostendo mihi orbis terrarum.' Show me the world, that's what it means. I looked it up. It's Latin," Marik explained.

"The language of magic. People with Overpowers use Latin as spells to activate their powers," I filled them in.

"But sister can see things without having to use those words. It's only when she's looking far away that she needs them," he ran hand through his hair.

"Atem was warning the President of something when she was attacked the White House," I told them. "What if - and this is going to sound a bit crazy, but what if there's some kind of battle going on? What if we're being trained as soldiers?"

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Mana muttered.

"Sherlock Holmes," I quoted out of habit.

"Loved that movie," Marik stated, completely off topic.

"The books were better."

"Of course, you would say that."

"But what are we supposed to be fighting against?" Mana's face looked hollow and drawn, terrified almost.

"I think I know," and I told them about my conversation with Kisara about the soulless bodies.

My roommate opened and closed his jaw, trying to say something but failing. Mana's complexion had lost whatever colour it had left.

"Soulless...? But how?" Her voice quacked.

"No idea, but I know this much. Death is the only natural way for a soul to leave a body, outside of a Necromancer getting possessed and even then my soul goes right back in when I'm done. If something's removing souls, then there's something seriously wrong going on out there," I stared out the window, just now realizing how Marik felt almost a week ago when he commented about how the people out there had no idea what was going on.

They had no idea what the world was really like.

"But if that's happening," there was an odd strength in my voice, one that was both empowering and commanding at the same time, "then it's up to the people who know the truth to make it right. And something tells me that it's going to be us who'll end up having that responsibility."

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank those who posted reviews for the last chapter: ilovemanicures, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, Malik'sStalker, YamixSetoFanatic94, Akikee, and AsianWolf.**

**So Mai is not all that she's led us to believe. She's definitely got something to do with everything that is happening with Atem. Atlantis is collecting powerful Others, but why? And are they just collecting Others? Because Mokuba is a Normal and he's pretty influential. Are they really creating a group of soldiers? And to fight what?**

**Until next time, my friends,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	27. Not A Pizza Delivery Girl

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

**Warning:** Contains Vexshipping (Yami Bakura x Tea Gardner/Anzu Mazaki), sexual situations, and partial nudity

* * *

**Chapter 27: Not a Pizza Delivery Girl**

_Sunday, March 26__th__, 2017_

Mai wasn't in the room when Mana went back to check, so she stayed in our room that night. She slept in Marik's bed, on his insistence. He volunteered to take the floor and I knew that he started out there. By the time I woke up in the morning, he had mysteriously migrated to the top bunk.

Thankfully, they both still had their clothes on. There were just certain things that I really didn't want to know about. At least this was my confirmation that their Valentine's Day date must have gone well.

We spent the rest of the day talking about our theories about what was going on at Atlantis and convincing Mana that it really wasn't necessary for her to make breakfast (I really wanted to be able to eat my French toast, not have it eat me). We tried to come up with a list of other students who might have been brought here for the same reason as Mai.

"Strings," I said. "He came here when he was thirteen. And he's a really strong Enchanter, he's got to be."

"Pegasus has loads of money. He's probably their financial backer. You know, for when Kaiba can't use company funds to buy things because it'll look suspicious," Mana pointed out.

"That's probably why Noah was created," Marik gasped. "No to protect the school from hackers, but to protect this secret from everyone else. And god, Ishizu! She's probably the perfect spy. She doesn't even have to be there to find out what's going on."

The names of my fellow classmates began to be called over the speaker system in our phones. We all exchanged looks, and then Marik said, "We need to talk about this when we get back. To be honest, I don't trust those phones anymore. How knows, maybe Noah is listening to all of our conversations."

Mana sucked in a breath, covering her mouth, "What if they're listening right now?"

"They haven't stopped us from talking just yet," I got up as my name was called. "Next week we meet up here again. Then we talk."

I stepped out of the room and went to the elevator. I stared at the blank screen that Noah sometimes inhabited, as if daring him to appear. It was probably as really dumb idea, but at the time, it made sense.

I appeared a few minutes later in the alleyway between the two strip malls in Domino City. I walked at a stead pace towards my house, trying not to step on patches of ice that were still here and not in Washington.

Amane was waiting for me on our front porch. She stood when she saw me, face lighting up with a smile.

"Ryou!" She cried, running towards me, "You're home! You – what's wrong?"

I tried to smile, to show her that nothing was wrong. But that was a lie and I was always terrible at lying to my sister. So I did the only thing that I could do. I hid my face in her shoulder, wrapping my arms around her in a hug, and tried to school my expression, "I have something for you."

She pulled away, "For me?"

"Yeah, here," I pulled the charm that I'd commissioned from Atem from my pocket. I'd put it on a chain that I'd made in Morphing (we'd started working with metals). It pooled in her waiting hands. Amane's eyes were wide.

"A necklace…? You got me jewelry?"

"Sort of. It's a charm. It's got a spell on it to protect you from evil," I explained to her. "Well, technically it'll start glowing if something dangerous comes near you so run like hell if it does. I've got one, too."

I showed her my bracelet. Amane bit her lips, "We match…"

"Kind of," I laughed nervously. "Can we go inside? It's kind of cold out here. I've got stories for you."

She practically squealed with delight, hanging the charm around her neck. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me into the house.

"I broke it off with Joey," she told me as I took off my coat.

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Joey and I. I broke up with him," she repeated.

"Why?"

Amane winced "Well, the reason why I got together with him doesn't really apply anymore, so…yeah…"

"So since there is no longer any reason to piss me off…" I trailed off.

"Pretty much.'

I paused for a moment, and then spoke the absolute truth, "Girls are so _weird_."

Amane burst out laughing.

* * *

_Tuesday, March 28__th__, 2017_

I was in the kitchen when my father brought it up.

"I got an email from Ashley today," he said.

"Ashley?" My mother asked.

"Kallie's older sister, the one that married Harrison. They're flying over to New York to visit Harrison's mother for her birthday and was wondering if we'd like to spend the weekend," he smiled, turning to my sister. "We could have a family vacation again, just like the old days. How would you like that, Amane? You could see Bill, Patrick, and Gabe again."

Ashley St. Clair nee Bakura was one of dad's many second cousins. Her husband was a New Yorker she met on a business trip. Bill, Patrick and Gabe were some of Amane's favourite 'cousins'. I'd only really seen them once or twice, but apparently they were pretty cool people. Not that I'd ever have the chance to find out.

Amane looked like she wanted to agree, but looked back at me for moment, "What about Ryou? Can he come, too?"

I'd explained to her what the Ward had done to our parents the last time I was here. She'd sat there for a few minutes in complete silence before changing the topic completely. She didn't like the idea of it at all.

So I wasn't as surprised as she was when mom said, flat out, that I was not going to come under any circumstance whatsoever because I was an embarrassment to the family. I gritted my teeth and took it.

Amane's jaw hung open, "…What?"

"Don't," I hissed at her. "It's what happens. Learn to accept it."

I stood up, leaving the room and going upstairs before I heard the woman who'd given birth to me call me anything worse than an utter failure and disappointment. Amane came up a few minutes later.

"It's not right," she whispered.

"It's not, but it's the way the world works. I can't change it anymore than I can change the colour of the sky," I told her. Sighing, I turned around, "Look, you should go."

"Not without you," Amane touched my hand.

"No, I'm not going. Don't you understand? Our family is full of Normals who are affected by the Ward as much as mom or dad is. And while we might find one or two that are able to resist it a little like Devlin or Serenity, it's just going to be more of the same for me," I said.

"Then I'll stay behind," she begged.

"Amane, do you honestly think that they're going to let you stay in this house alone with me for an entire weekend?"

She squeezed her eye shut, "It's just not fair."

"Magic isn't all that great. It's got its advantages, but a ton of drawbacks that come with it," I sighed. "I'm one of the lucky ones. There have been Others who…have been seriously hurt because of it."

She hugged me tightly; "I'll never do that to you again. I'll never leave you. I swear it."

"Thanks," I whispered back.

"Its just, there's something I need to ask you first," Amane hesitated, taking a step back.

"What?"

"You once said that magic was alive. Has he ever…spoken to you?" Her fingers twisted together.

"Magic usually contacts Others through dreams, though I've heard it speak once. Why?" I said.

"What did he say?" Amane asked.

"It told me to let you see Atem – wait a second. Why are you calling magic a 'he'?" I questioned.

"He talks to me sometimes," she mumbled.

"But why do you call it 'he'?" I repeated.

"Because whenever he comes to me, he looks like you," Amane admitted grudgingly.

"Me?"

She nodded, but didn't speak.

"What has magic told you to do?" I grasped her shoulders tightly, scared out of my mind.

"Nothing. He doesn't tell me to do anything. We just talk, mostly. He's lonely, though he doesn't know what lonely feels like. Not really," Amane explained. "I think he just wants to be able to talk to his people more."

I frowned. What did magic want with my sister? I remembered Atem's explanation of Abnormals and how she said that they were created by magic specifically for a reason. Maybe that was the reason why it was talking to her, simply because magic was more connected to Amane.

I still didn't like it.

"Just be careful. And don't trust it word for word. Sometimes it forces people to do things that they don't want to. They become soldiers that don't know what they're doing or what they're fighting for. Look at what it did to Atem," I warned her. "I don't want to see that happen to you. I don't want to see you broken."

"She looks younger when she looks at you," Amane mumbled darkly.

"She – what?" I sputtered.

"Nothing," my sister grumbled. "I'll go with mom and dad, but it'll probably suck."

"Then I'm not missing out on much," I smirked. She elbowed me in the side.

It was nice to know that Amane cared.

* * *

I learned to track magical signatures when I merged with Dark God. At first, all I could pick up where blobs of colourful flames. Atem and I are still at the point where we can at least tell the difference between an Other and Normal, if we look hard enough. That is unless we know the person we're tracking really well.

But from what I've seen and heard of Dark God's ability, the guy was a freaking bloodhound. He could not only track a spell all by himself, but also specifically tell you which one was used about a month after it was cast. Today, they haven't even got scanners (like the one's built by KaibaCorp) that can be that accurate.

Of course, he also has a hole into the Shadow Realm in his Soul Room. That certainly helped him even though it cost him his sanity.

Trackers generally spread their Summoning magic out into the air around them, attempting to pick up on specific signatures of people near by. If they pick out an Other who has yet to start using magic actively or hasn't been using it for a while, it is easier because they 'smell' differently, as I have mentioned before. But since Normals and Others will generally 'look' the same under a scan, one has to know the specific colours that transmit magic.

However, the easiest thing, by far, to Track is Teleportation.

There is a reason why, every time I used the PORT that I would show up in the exact same location. It was the same reason why Atem appeared behind the bleachers, the exact point where she left several months before, when she was shot. The Shadow Realm co-exists with our reality, so by stepping into it or existing it, we create spots that are more open to appear in.

It's like creating a door. You know that the room next door is there, but you can't walk through a wall to get there. You have to use the door to get in. But when it comes to the Shadow Realm, you can only use the doors that you create. You build a 'flight path,' for lack of a better word, when you Teleport.

And that path can be Tracked. Usually it takes about three weeks to bust a path, but I've seen it done in less.

Of course, I happened to be at school when Atem's path was tracked from the White House to her door behind the bleachers. Someone must have seen me exit the building or through the window into the class and recognized me as an Other, or worse, as Atem's student. I never found out who exactly broke into my house that weekend, but I knew that they were looking for her to see if she was still there.

And as for my unexpected houseguest that night, she was damn lucky that they only sent Converts. Because had they sent an Infected, they would have discovered us.

I was so glad that night that I'd learned how to do the invisibility trick from Mahad beforehand. If I hadn't, both of us would have died.

* * *

_Saturday, April 1__st__, 2017_

Having the house to myself for the weekend had both benefits and downsides. On the brighter end of the spectrum, I could eat whatever I wanted and do whatever I pleased. Dad was a fan of X-Box 720 games (and bought on in an attempt to look and feel younger), so I spent most of my first day on my own trying to beat his high score at Rock Band 5.

The bad news about being home alone was that I realized that my father was a lot better that playing rips on the guitar than I was. It was rather humiliating. What kind of teenager was I? This had better not get out or Marik would never let me live it down.

Amane had left me some cash, so I ordered a pizza as it started to thunder outside. I felt a little bad for who ever worked as the delivery person at Pizza Pizza, driving around in this weather.

The doorbell chimed not ten minutes later, setting a freaking record for the fastest delivered pizza in the history of my family ordering from this company. I ditched the game controller, not believing the evidence before my eyes that my father was on the last level for the latest Call of Duty, and opened the front door.

"You…are not a pizza delivery girl."

"Oh, shut up, freak," Tea Gardner stood sopping wet and frozen on the front steps. "Where's Amane?"

"Gone," I blinked. Gardner's eyes widened and I corrected myself before she called the cops, claiming that I killed my sister, "One of dad's cousins is coming into the country to visit her mother-in-law. They went to go catch up."

"Shit," she mumbled, turning around to leave. I grabbed her wrist. She shrieked, "Don't touch me!"

"Hey, it's pouring rain and you don't have an umbrella or even a proper jacket to keep you dry. And on top of that, it's dark out," I told her. "I got mugged once, not far from here, around this time of night. There is no way in hell I'm letting a girl like you walk around like you are.

"Look," I sighed. "I've got pizza coming in a few minutes and you're lips are turning blue. Just…come in, I won't try anything. I swear."

"Why would I want to do that?" Gardner spat.

"Because you look like you're about to catch hypothermia and its warm in here," though to be honest, the only reason I was doing this was because I was dying for a little human interaction, even if it was with Gardner, Domino High School's witch with a capital B. But beggars can't be choosers.

Besides, something looked wrong about her. Something that tugged within me, making me feel a little merciful towards her. It must have been that drive that Atem once spoke to me of: the drive to help people. It made me a better Necromancer because I had the ability to empathize.

She hesitated for a second and then laid out the ground rules, "You stay three feet away from me at all times."

"Done," I didn't want to be anywhere near her anyways. I backed up as she came in and started dripping in the front hall. I told her to stand still while I got her a towel from upstairs.

"Here, catch," I said, throwing the fluffy, white rectangle of fabric at her. She used it to dry off her hair. "You know where Amane's room is if you want to change. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you wore any of her clothes."

Tea glared at me before stomping up the stairs. She called down, "If I hear one creak of the floorboards up here…"

"You'll sick your pack of cheerleaders on me, I know. Geez, I'm just trying to be nice. Sorry," I threw at her, voice filled with sarcasm. I went back to the living room and resumed getting utterly slaughtered by enemy combatants in Call of Duty: Front Lines.

The pizza arrived several minutes later. I gave the poor pocket-marked kid a sizable tip for not only braving the storm for the sake of customer service, but also withstanding the Ward. I could tell he wasn't just shaking from the cold.

I was just opening the box up in the kitchen when I heard Gardner come in, "What kind is it?"

"Meat supreme," I answered, not even looking back at her. I heard her moan. "What? You don't want some? On a diet or something?"

"I can't believe I have something in common with a loser like you," she snorted. I turned around.

Gardner was leaning against the doorframe, wearing a pair of my sister's track pants and a large t-shirt. Her feet were bare, curling against the tile floor of the kitchen. She wasn't wearing make-up, I noticed. It made me realize that she was shorter than I was. Gardner had always seemed taller, but then again, she wore shoes with four inch heals all the time.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," she growled, stepping forwards to grab a slice. I backed up. She frowned, "What? You going to say that I smell or something?"

"Three feet," I indicated to the distance between us. "Though now that you mention it, you do smell a bit off. Roll around in some bullshit lately?"

"Fuck you."

"Maybe later."

"You pig!" She yelled at me, "Don't talk to me like that? What have I ever done to you?"

"Do you want that list alphabetically or chronologically? Here's a better question," I spat at her. "What have I ever done to you?"

"You've – " Gardner stopped, her face loosing its hatred for me as she thought back on all those times that she tripped me or set the football team on me or wrote nasty notes or embarrassed me. And I'd bet you all the money you own that she couldn't find a single thing I'd done to deserve at that.

"I gave you a place to stay the night, warm clothes and food," I told her. "That's what I've done to deserve all the stuff that you and your friends have put me through."

I left, carrying my two slices of pizza with me back to the television. I turned off the X-Box and flipped on the news. They were doing some special on the ever-terrifying Yugi Mutuo. I should probably have been a bit scared of what could happen now, but all I could imagine was the girl who had treated me as a teddy bear for about a week and then kissed me in a McDonalds. It was like Yugi Mutuo and Atem were different people who shared the same face.

No, it wasn't that. I just didn't want to believe that they were the same person.

Gardner came in when I was about half way through my second slice. For someone who had ordered me to stay away from her, she wasn't really following up on her end of the bargain very well.

"What's your name?"

I nearly choked on my next bite, whipping my head around to face her, "What did you just say?"

"I don't know what your name is," she repeated, sitting down on one of the comfy chairs. "So spill."

I just stared at her for a moment. She didn't know…didn't…my name? She had no idea what my name was? After everything? That was just fucked up, really fucked up.

But now she did want to know and that meant something.

"Bakura. My name's Bakura," I muttered, turning back to my pizza.

"That's your last name," she fumed.

"Well maybe I don't like being called by my first name," I said.

"But what is it?"

"Not telling."

"It's starts with R, doesn't it? I think I heard Amane say it once."

"Just shut up," I snapped. "My mother gave me some stupid-ass Japanese name, even though I'm British. There, are you happy now? Huh?"

"Well, why don't you respect your own culture?" She spat.

"I'm not Japanese!" I shouted. She frowned.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm not Japanese. Are you deaf and dumb now?"

She shook her head, "That's not what you said."

"I know what I said."

"No," she stood up, placing both her hands on her hips. "You just spoke in some weird different language."

"I did not!" I yelled at her.

"You know what? I don't even know why I'm arguing with a freak like you," Gardner flopped back down on the chair.

"Oh, that's rich coming from the girl who shows up on my doorstep at 10 o'clock at night sopping wet. Why are you here, anyways?" I asked.

She flinched, "None of your business."

"So it's all right for you to ask me personal questions, but the moment I start asking you things, I'm out of bounds. Hypocritical, much?" I rolled my eyes at her. And then I really looked at her.

Tea went really pale when I said that. Her lips became thin lines and her entire body seemed to be ready to bolt any second, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Bullshit," I forgot everything that had been said up until a few seconds ago. It didn't matter that I hated this girl. Something was clearly wrong.

"You know…talking sometimes helps…" I hinted.

"Oh don't you dare go therapist on me now," Gardner complained. "Like I'd ever tell you anything."

"You came here to tell Amane, didn't you?" I theorized. She went tight lipped again, so I continued a little, "Does she know?"

She looked away, "No."

"Okay…not giving me much to work on here…"

"Why are you even trying? It's not as if you actually care about anything!" She shouted, "I bet you were just acting tough and cool with Amane a few months ago just to –"

"You thought I looked cool?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Get into my…I never said that!" She screeched, pointed at me wildly, "You're making stuff up!"

I couldn't stop grinning. Someone actually thought I looked cool. Apparently, Gardner didn't like that, "God, stop smiling. You look more like a freak than you usually do."

I waved my hand at her, "Looking ordinary is over rated anyways. Also, you're avoiding the question. Something's wrong."

"Just shut up!" She screamed, "Just shut up! Just stay out of this! You're worse than my mother sometimes!"

"Your mother?" Gardner clasped her hands around her mouth, eye wide with panic. I sighed, "Ryou."

Her hands came down, "What?"

"My first name. It's Ryou," I told her. "But don't call me that. Only my family's allowed to. And by my family, I actually mean Amane because I don't think I've heard my parents speak my name aloud in years."

"What?" She whispered, though I could tell that she didn't want me to repeat anything. I so just continued talking.

"My dad, whenever he decides to acknowledge that I'm here, is always talking about how I'll be dead by the time I hit twenty – that I'll be shot to death in some gang war over drugs. But the thing is," I sighed, "I haven't even touched that stuff. I can't stand the smell of cigarettes and drinking makes me feel like I'm dying, so the idea of smoking a joint or snorting powder makes me want to puke. My mother thinks I'm an embarrassment to the family; that's why I'm here and they're in New York City at the moment, so that my cousins don't see me.

"So, whatever you're going through at home, you're not the only one, okay. You're not alone."

"How did you know?" Gardner's voice came out breathless and airy. I shrugged.

"It makes sense. You're running away from home, or something like that, and needed a place to crash for the night. Had an argument with your family?"

"Stop it," she sounded like she couldn't breath. "Just…just stop it! You're a freak! You're a loser! You just want to tell everyone about everything what's fucking wrong with me, don't you? That's it! That's your plan!"

"Tea," I stopped her with her name. "You just said that I was a loser. Honestly, who do you think would ever listen to me?"

And that was when she started crying. I thought about what Moto had told me, back in January, about how Normals will sometimes turn to Others in times of need. Maybe this was what caused her to start telling me about her fight with her mother.

* * *

Alison Gardner, Tea's mother, was an up-and-coming ballet dancer when she discovered that she was pregnant. The woman didn't know who the father was, as it was a toss up between the director and a guy she met once at a club and never saw again. Tea's conception ruined the woman's carrier when she was kicked out of the show she was in.

Overnight, Ms. Gardner went from being semi-famous to waitressing at a diner. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her and the baby and she wasn't able to get in contact with the possible fathers. I don't think she ever held the loss of her career against Tea, but she did something else to the girl.

Ms. Gardner tried to live out her dream through her daughter. By any means possible.

She told her that good girls never really got anywhere in life and that you had to get your hands dirty if you really wanted something. She forced Tea into dance classes and made her try out for the cheerleading squad. She ignored all of her daughter's own ambitions and told her, "I'm only doing what's best for you."

Tea tried to rebel a few times. Usually, Ms. Gardner kicked her out of the house and refused to let her back in until she 'came to her senses.' On those nights, Tea ended up at my place, telling Amane that she just wanted to hang out and have some girl-talk. My sister suspected, but never had the proof, that something was happening on the home front.

I was the first person that Tea had ever told. To this day, I wonder if she simply trusted me that night or just needed to unload. I've never asked, and to be honest, I don't think she wants me to.

But whatever her reason was, it eventually gave her the courage to finally stand up to her mother. She's in Ethiopia now working for Fair Trade International, trying to help those working in coffee field get fair wages and benefits. Sometimes she sends postcards with updates on how she's doing and is thinking of adopting a girl that she met while over there. It just goes to show you that you don't need magic to be able to accomplish amazing things.

* * *

I was honestly stunned when Tea finished talking. What her mother was doing to her wasn't right. There was no excuse for ignoring your child's own dreams, not when there was no Ward hanging over your head. There was no reason for this.

The entire time, I'd stayed the regulation three feet away, but after everything that Tea had just told me I decided to ignore that. I reached out and laid my hand over hers. Her head snapped towards me, like she couldn't believe what I'd just done.

"What are you…"

"You're not your mother," I told her.

"Alison Gardner, Tea Gardner. What's the difference?" She whispered hoarsely.

"The difference is that Tea Gardner's stuck in a cage and Alison won't give up the keys," I said softly. "You're your own person. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"You don't understand," she hissed at me. "You don't understand at all."

"I know what its like to be looked at and be seen as someone else," I told her, remembering maroon eyes and whimpered words that I didn't understand. "It hurts more than being ignored ever would be. Its like your being compared to someone that you know you'll never be able to best, because you're always going to be second place."

Tea bit her lip, "Who are you trying to be?"

I rolled my eyes, "Well, there's this girl…"

"Oh," she stopped me. "I know where this is going. Ex-boyfriend was The One, right?"

"Something like that," it was pretty sad that I was jealous of myself in a past life. But since when had I ever been normal. Or Normal, for that matter. Never.

There was a loud crack of thunder and the lights flickered before going out completely. Tea let out a little whimper as I stood and looked out the window, "The whole street's out. Maybe a tree fell on a power line. I'll go find flashlights."

As I padded over to the kitchen again, passed the cooling pizza, I heard her come up behind me.

"You can't tell anyone what I told you," Tea warned me.

"Like I said: who'd listen to me?" I snorted, searching the cabinets.

"If I do something for you, you've got to swear you won't tell," there was something odd in her voice that I didn't recognize. I turned around.

"Look you don't…have…uh…" my mind ground to a halt. I swallowed hard and my voice became very breathless, "Doesn't this violate the three feet rule?"

Tea was so close that I could feel her breath on my face. All I could see was her baby-blue eyes. I felt my face turn absolutely red.

"I let you do this," I felt her mouth graze my own, her hands at the waistline of my jeans, "And you have to promise you won't tell."

"I wasn't…uh…going to," I gasped as I felt her breasts press against me through our clothes. "You don't have to…"

"Shut up. You can't trust people's words," that was the last thing Tea said before she kissed me. It was nothing like Atem's kiss. When Atem and I kissed, it was innocent-ish and nice. I liked kissing Atem, but I was never really clear on what it meant – for us at least.

But the thing was, Tea's kiss spelled out in very clear neon, flashing letters that she was going to let me fuck her on the kitchen floor.

If someone had asked me if I would say 'no' to losing my virginity to Tea Gardner, the most popular girl in Domino High School who was doing this really hot thing with her tongue right now, I would have responded by giving them the one finger salute right up their nose.

But God, this felt like betrayal, though.

We fell to the ground, kissing and touching each other all over, grinding our bodies together in some weird yet sexy horizontal dance move. Her hands were everywhere, finding every spot that made me moan, even the one's I didn't know I had. Somehow, I managed to remove her shirt and damn she wasn't wearing a bra. I couldn't breath, couldn't even think. How the hell was anyone supposed to deal with this? I didn't know, could know, couldn't understand at all.

My hands moved on their own and Tea unzipped my jeans with trembling hands and –

There was a loud bang on the front door. We both froze where we were, listening for a second, and then Tea tried to kiss me again, but I wouldn't let her because –

It happened again, but this time much quieter. My blood ran cold as the front door squeaked open and heavy footsteps sounded throughout the house. I rolled off of Tea, handed her her shirt and grabbed her wrist, leading her underneath the table to hide.

"Look if it's just Amane –" I cut her of.

"My family isn't due back until tomorrow," I whispered. "Now, shut up and don't move!"

Her lips were sealed as the boots made their way into the kitchen. I closed my eyes and focused on my Illusion magic, trying my best to get the invisibility spell right. This was not the time to mess up.

"You sure that this is the place?" The person closest to us spoke. To my utter surprise, it was a woman.

"Has to be," the second was a man. "This place lights up like a Christmas tree on the radar. All colours of the freaking rainbow. There's no way that this can't be the place. She was definitely here."

"You hear that she's taken on a student at that school?" the woman asked.

"Some Necromancer kid," the man answered and I stiffened. Oh god! They were tracking Atem. They'd found where she'd been and they were tracking her here. And apparently, they could sense magic, so if they caught a whiff of my invisibility spell, Tea and I were dead.

"What's that again? The 'Goes Ape Shit When Pissed' one?"

"Nah. It's the 'Hanging Out Around Corpses Gets My Rocks Off' one," the man spoke again. I wanted to break every bone in his body.

"Right. I can never remember which one's which with those guys. Its still pretty amazing, though," the woman sighed. "It's not fair, but at least with these, we can do something."

"Everyone should get that power. It's not right that only specific people do," another man came in from the hallway. "But we were chosen by God to wield this new power. And we must use it to wipe the unworthy from the earth. The Kingdom in Heaven will be built on earth once more."

"Ah, you and your religious crap," the first man snickered. "Don't care where it comes from or what it does, but this stuff…it's amazing."

"Hey, enough talk. Can you find anything that links the Immortal to this house?" I could practically see the woman with her hands on her hips, giving the men that look that only women could do.

"That's the weird thing. I'm picking up magic, but its every freaking type that there is, even amongst Normals," the first man sighed. "It's like every single person in all of existence has been in this house, its ridiculous. It is totally off the charts. I wouldn't be able to pick up anything if they were using a spell right next to me."

"This is a waste of time," the second man growled. "We should just put a watch on the house and look for odd activity. If she visited here once, she may again."

"Hey, wait a minute, guys," the woman called to her partners. "There's pizza on the table. And it's still warm."

There as a hush and I could feel Tea grip my arm tightly. I wrapped my arm around her and doubled my efforts in keeping the Illusion up and running. Sweat rolled down the back of my neck.

The second man left the kitchen and shouted up the stairs, "Is there anyone up there?"

"No, boss. Just us," came a call from the second level. I gulped. Four (or maybe even more) people where in the house. What was I going to do if we were discovered?

"They could have heard us come in and run off," the woman's voice sounded from the living room.

"They?"

"Two plates here. One's got half eaten pizza on it," she called back to her boss.

"Back yard?" Suggested the first man.

"No, if they were here, they're long gone. There's rumours floating around about the two kids who live here," the woman spoke again. "Apparently, they've become a bit too close as of lately, if you get my drift. Maybe they went off on a date."

"Well, that rules them out as suspects," the first man leaned against the table, making it quake. He was so close, I could have reached out and touched his boots. "There's no way that there's two of them in a single family."

"Well, there is that one family out in San Fran. The…Blishtars, or something…they've got three of them."

"Its weird, though. I swear I saw both kids leaving the house earlier when I was on duty," the first man sighed. "I wonder who was here. Squatters?"

"Doesn't matter," barked the second man. "We need to leave while the black out is still in effect. You two stop flirting and let's get out of here."

There was a responding chorus of "Yes, sir" before the boots headed towards the door. It shut again and the lock was put back in place. Tea and I stayed crouched under the table for a while later. Only when the clock struck midnight did I release my spell and relax.

"I think they're gone," I whispered to Tea. "We can come out now…Tea?"

She was asleep, curled up against my shoulder. I guessed she'd simply passed out. I carried her out and placed her one the couch, grabbing a blanket from one of the storage boxes my mother had. Then I settled down in the chair that faced the door and pulled out my knife, preparing for a long night of sentry duty.

It was a noble idea, but I fell asleep myself around 1:30, stone knife still in my hand.

* * *

_Sunday, April 2__nd__, 2017_

I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck and heard the sound of someone messing around in the kitchen. Immediately, I panicked, going into full-scale Combat mode and made myself ready to kick someone's ass. However, it was only Tea.

Only Tea Gardner. Never thought I'd think those words.

"Pizza's still good when it's cold," I told her. "You don't have to look for something else to eat."

Tea jumped, not having heard me come in. She spun on the ball of her heal and started to robotically walk towards me.

"You…can't…tell…anyone," she stated through clenched teeth. "No one can know. We had a deal."

"Deal? Oh….oh!" She'd backed me into a wall this time, instead of a countertop. But this time, I wouldn't let her go through with it. I grabbed her by the shoulders just in time before she kissed me again.

"Tea, stop it," I told her.

"God, if you wanted to skip the kissing bit, you just had to say so," she practically stammered through that line, her voice shaking so much. My eyes almost popped when I saw her dropping to her knees.

"Nononono!" I slid to the side, tripping over my own feet in an attempt to escape. "Tea, damn it, just stop. Stop!"

"We had a deal!" She cried.

"Am I talking to Tea or Alison Gardner right now? Because Tea doesn't have to do anything to buy my silence," I tried to scoot away as she crawled closer.

"Everyone says that. Everyone lies."

"Who taught you that? You're mother?" I reasoned with her. "Tea, don't have to do this. I don't want you to."

She stopped for a second and then frowned, "Are you gay?"

"What?"

"You're gay, aren't you? That's why…"

"No, I'm not. I just don't want you to force yourself to do something you don't want to," I explained.

"And what makes you think that I don't want to?" Tea spat.

"Because," I reached forward and gently gripped her wrist, holding her hand up so that she could see how it shook with fear. "Because of this. Tea, if I'm ever going to be with someone, I don't want them to be terrified of me. Because, if we were to be together right now, it would practically be rape. I'm not like that."

I wasn't like Bandit Keith.

"I'll make you another deal," I offered. "You don't tell anyone about what those people were talking about last night and I won't tell anyone about what you told me. How's that?"

"That's it?" She raised an eyebrow.

"That's it. How's that for a deal?" I released her hand and held mine out to shake.

"But…you just can't…" she stuttered. "How can I just expect you to hold up your end?"

"Don't know. Here's a better question. How can I expect you to hold up your end?" I smirked.

"But why? Why? I don't understand," Tea looked confused. "Why would you…? No guy has ever turned down sex, not in a million years!"

"To be honest," I sighed. "You're not her."

And then I got up, grabbed a slice of cold pizza and went upstairs. I needed to make a call to Kisara and find out just why the fuck people were breaking into my house.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank those who reviewed for the last chapter: ilovemanicures, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, and Akikee. Thank you all so much for your continuous feedback!**

**So this is what happens when Bakura is left to his own devices and is forced to entertain himself. He plays video games, gets to second base with the girl all the guys want, and gets a little too close for comfort with Atem's enemies. Part of him is wondering why all this stuff is happening to him, but at the same time, the other part of him is saying that his life is merely making up for the complete lack of excitement in his past.**

**I'm sure a few of you are wondering about the Vexshipping scene there. Tea has (if you've read The Abnormals) acknowledged that Bakura is kind of attractive, so that's why she was even willing to go through with it in the first place. However, her real reasons are explaining in her last line "No guy has ever turned down sex, not in a million years." To put it bluntly, she's doing what her mother taught her: to use every advantage to get what you want, even if it means using your body. Tea wanted Bakura not to mention what she told him and believed that he would take having sex with her as 'payment.' She's surprised that Bakura turned her down because its sex. People generally like sex and she's used that form of 'payment' before successfully.**

**It had nothing to do with romance. It was more of a business transaction then anything else.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you know how to get in contact with me. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.**

**Until next time, my friends,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	28. The Kaiba Cave

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 28: The Kaiba Cave**

_Thursday, April 6__th__, 2017_

When I called Kisara almost a week ago, she said that the best thing that I could do to protect my family was, of all things, upload Noah into everything electronic in my home. I didn't see what that would accomplish, until I saw him take over the stereo and shoot the CDs in it like ninja stars. That kind of freaked me out.

But what that also meant was that I had to be careful what I said, or else Noah would report back to the Kaibas of my suspicion about what exactly was going on at Atlantis. As if I needed things to get more complicated. It was a small price to pay, though, for the continued safety of my family. I didn't want them to get hurt when I was away. At least with Noah's continued protection, they'd be safe from harm.

Amane sat in front of me in the cafeteria, watching the charm I'd given her spin on its chain, "So how'd you learn how to do this? You never told me."

"I didn't. I had it made for you," I explained.

"Then who made it?"

"Who else?" I looked around to check who was listening, then whispered my answer, "Atem."

Amane's lips tightened for a second, before she smiled, "Oh. Tell her I say think you, then."

"Yeah, look. There's something else. When you left for the weekend, did you sense anything weird? Like magic that shouldn't be there?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" She frowned, "Did something happen?"

I hadn't told Amane about the break in. I didn't want to worry her. But I needed to know, "Did you sense anything? Because…I thought I saw something leave the house with you."

The charm fell back against her chest with a dull thump. She took a breath and then said, "I sensed nothing, Ryou. And nothing came with me."

"You sure?"

"Very. Just like I'm sure that no one came over to our house over the weekend," her voice was final and direct. I gapped, putting my fork down.

"How did you…?"

"Tea's my best friend. You don't think that she wouldn't tell me that she came over in the middle of the rain," Amane's eye blazed with anger. "I should have heard that from you, Ryou. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Its complicated," I sighed. "Some stuff happened and I swore that I wouldn't tell anyone about it."

"Come on, Ryou. You can tell me," she pressed.

"No, Amane. I promised her. If Tea wants to tell you, then she can. I'm not going to betray her like that," I told her.

She frowned, "But you don't even like Tea. What the hell happened over the weekend?"

"We talked a bit. She was looking for you, but got me instead," I purposefully ignored the other stuff that happened. Getting to second base with her best friend was not something that Amane needed to know.

"So you just talked?" She seemed disbelieving. I didn't blame her.

"Talked. Ate pizza," I supplied.

"You know, Tea mentioned that you were a good kisser."

I actually had nothing to say to that. I just kind of floundered for a moment, "S-she what?"

"Did you or did you not make out with Tea?" She leaned forwards with squinted eyes.

"Kind of. It's complicated," I sighed. "You know, most of the guys in this school would kill for that kind of opportunity."

"But you said no to the rest."

I blinked, "Well, yeah."

Amane's frown deepened, "You aren't gay, are you?"

I groaned and slammed my head into the cafeteria table, "You two are so alike."

"Are you?"

"No! Just because I said no doesn't mean…Look, Tea wasn't thinking straight. She was forcing herself to do what she did on the weekend. The Ward affects her, even if it doesn't effect you," I explained. "I said no because she was terrified and out of her mind at the time. I just don't take advantage, okay."

She hesitated for a second, "Ryou, have you ever…you know, done _it_ before?"

I thought I felt my eye twitch. What was with all the questions?

Amane sensed my awkwardness, "I mean, you know that I have, but I was just wondering…?"

"No," I told the truth, blushing hard. "No. There's been no one."

"Not even at Atlantis?"

"Not in the way you're thinking," I said.

"Do you ever wish there was?" Amane bit her lip.

"Sometimes…" I whispered, very aware of the people around us eating. "But I don't think that this is the place to talk about this sort of thing."

"But if you could, is there someone? That you'd like to…" she tilted her head to the side, leaning forwards.

"Well, you know the answer to that already," I sighed nervously, fingers twitching. I looked at her, trying to tell her without having to actually go out and say it again.

"I do?"

"Yeah. I told you who already," there was something odd in her eyes when I told her that. Amane blushed and brushed her long hair behind her ear.

"Um…Ryou? I was wondering, if you, uh," she chuckled uneasily. I frowned, unsure of what she was going to say. "I was wondering if…ifyouwantedtogotopromwithme?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked her to repeat.

"Do you want to go to prom with me?" Amane spoke every word as if it took every nerve in her to say it. I blinked.

"You want me. To go to prom. With you," I tried to understand what was happening. Maybe spelling it out would help, because saying it slower wasn't doing the trick.

"Yeah," she nodded.

I blinked again. My brain churned trying to find a reasonable explanation for this. There was only one that made sense. Well, there was technically two, but that second one was just impossible. There was no way that Amane…no that was just all impossible.

She didn't want me to go as her date, not really, "You want me to be jackal-repellant. Sure, I can do that."

Amane's smile slipped for a second, so quickly that I barely noticed. But then it was back, wider than before, "Something like that. It's just all the people who's asked me before, all they want to do is cop a feel under my dress at the end of the night. You aren't like that. You don't take advantage."

"Of course I don't," what was she thinking, that I would want to do something like that. She was my sister, why would I…?

I shouldn't think too deeply on this. It would take me to places I didn't want to go. It would make me notice something I'd been trying not to think of ever since that moment on the couch so many months ago.

"So, do you want to?" Amane asked again.

"Can I think about it?" I decided. I didn't know what I was getting myself into at this rate.

Besides, I didn't own a tux. The fanciest thing I had was the shirt that Amane had given me. I didn't even have the money to buy tickets, let alone the suit that I would have to wear.

But I'd never been able to stand my sister being sad before. So the rest of my day at school was spent picking the pockets of my fellow students. By the time that the final bell rang and Amane was opening her locker, there was an envelope taped to the inside of the door. Inside were two tickets and a note that said: "You owe me a tux. – R."

And by tomorrow, the question of whom Amane was going to prom with (because while she went to parties, my sister never attended dances) had floated around the school so many times that I'd lost count.

* * *

_Saturday, April 8__th__, 2017_

I couldn't believe that I'd agreed to this. Not prom – no that wasn't what I was genuinely horrified about. It wasn't the idea that I was going to be boy repellant in about a month. No.

It was the fact that my sister had dragged me shopping with her. With her girlfriends. I was going to die of humiliation. No male should ever be subject to this kind of torture.

"Oh my god! Serenity, this would look so good on you!" Tea held up something that looked more like a long tube of fabric than a dress. I just hoped that I wasn't asked to comment on it. My main duty here was to carry bags and that was the only thing that I would put up with.

"No thanks, I like this one. I think it's the dress I'm going to get," Serenity stepped out of the change room, wearing a flowing pink dress that looked like it was something that Tinkerbelle would wear.

Tea raised an eyebrow, "Very pretty! I like it!"

She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Serenity squealed, "Tea! Don't! Delete it!"

"Na-ah! I'm going to send it to Duke!"

"No!"

Amane came up from behind me, asking nervously "So, what do you think?"

My sister was wearing a strapless white dress that went down to the floor, streamlining itself to her body before flaring out at the bottom. My jaw dropped.

"You look amazing," I breathed. Amane grinned widely.

"Really?"

"Um, Amane," Tea frowned. "It's a little 'wedding dress,' don't you think?"

"I like it," she defended her choice. "So I'm getting it."

"Who ever your date is, he's going to be blown of his feet," Serenity assured her.

"Yes, who is your mystery boy anyways?" Tea put her hands on her hips. "You haven't told us."

"Oh! Miho! That looks great!" Amane avoided the question and turned to the little Japanese girl whom she'd dragged along with us. The girl tugged at the top of the yellow dress and attempted to adjust the sash.

"I…I do not think that…th-this is good. My family, they send m-me here to…just study. Just study. That is all. N-not this," Miho stuttered.

"You've been studying non-stop since you got here," Amane stepped forwards, linking arms with the girl and taking her to do see herself in the mirror. "You deserve a little down time. See, you look beautiful."

Miho's eyes widened when she saw her reflection, looking at herself up and down, "I-I look…sugoi!"

She was right. She did look amazing.

Then I frowned. How did I know what that word meant? I didn't know Japanese. But Miho had definitely spoken in her native language and I'd known what she was saying. I realized that there were still some side effects from my merging with Touzoku that I had yet to understand.

Because of the bleed over that was taking place between us, I assumed that somehow I'd learned to understand Japanese.

Tea took the next half hour to decide between two purple dresses, finally deciding on the shorter of the two. Then there was the trip to the shoe store (please, just end it for me now), which had to have lasted an hour because the guy who worked there kept bringing out new ones for them to try on.

Thankfully, Amane had already helped me get something to wear to this damned event so I didn't have to answer questions as to why the hell I was going to prom. She seemed to find it funny that people were running around trying to guess who her date was. I just hoped that it wouldn't paint a target on my back because my sister had a few fans at our school. Rumour had it that one of her old boyfriend's, Demetrius Trudge, never really got over her.

And Trudge was a really beefy guy who could punch really hard. I knew from experience. Prick.

My phone rang and ducked out of the current store – purses, really? – to answer it.

"Hello," I asked.

"Greetings puny human," came the annoying voice of Noah. "Bow down before your digital master."

"Fuck no," I gritted my teeth. "What do you want?"

"Two things. First thing: the end of the Atlantis school year is in May and you need to submit your apprenticeship application by then," he explained.

"My apprenticeship?" Oh, I hadn't even thought of that. What did I want to do next year? What field of magic did I want to study the most? Which master did I want to teach me?

I wondered if Atem was…maybe…I hoped that she would. Something fluttered in my stomach at the idea of being with her for two weeks at a time. Alone.

"We'll be sending you an email with the application form within the hour so go and check that out. And now, second thing: we will be informing you that exams are coming up. They will occur during the week of the 22nd of May. Beware, Seto likes to go all out on this stuff," Noah spoke dramatically, like he was trying to pull off a Pegasus impression and failing miserably. "So in order to prepare for that, he's giving you extra time at home. Your next trip back to Domino City will be three weeks long, not the usual two."

"Alright," I raised an eyebrow.

"What's this? No groan. No swearing. No nothing! Come on, give me some kind of reaction," he complained.

"Oh no. Whatever will I do?" I said in a monotone voice thick with sarcasm.

Noah sighed, "I'll take what I can get. Check you emails and make sure that fill out those forms."

He hung up and I went back into the torture chamber – I mean the store. Crazy girls and their crazy shopping habits. And crazy me, for allowing them to drag me into this. I was so whipped.

* * *

_Sunday, April 9__th__, 2017_

I left a little earlier than usual, getting out to the house before her insane group of girls came and talked about prom and stuff. I didn't want to get in on that, for obvious reasons.

Crazy insane females with their crazy insane feminine tendencies.

I stepped into her room to say goodbye, making sure that her friends didn't see me, less I face the utter horrors of being drawn into their game of truth or dare. I closed the front door behind me and headed out to the alleyway to PORT out.

I exited the darkness and landed without tripping or falling. I went into the KaibaCorp building and passed the grainy Noah hologram as it stuttered it's greeting, heading towards the lifts. I pressed the up button and waited for the door to open.

It didn't.

I pressed the button again, but nothing came. I waited a few extra minutes before I headed over to the woman who was sitting at the front desk.

She didn't look up when I came over, so I tapped the little bell on her desk, "Excuse me? The lift's not working."

"Then take the stairs," she continued to be focused on her computer screen.

"Shouldn't you call a caretaker or something?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Look kid, you shouldn't even…oh. It's you," she raised an eyebrow. She looked down at what looked like a driving license picture of me on a piece of paper. "One second," the lady dialed a number on the phone. "Ms. Bleu, this is Tori Meadows at the front desk. The kid's here."

"Excellent," I looked up to see Kisara walking towards me from the main corridor, talking on her phone. "Thank you Tori. Bakura, this way."

"Were you the reason why I couldn't use the lifts?" I asked as I followed her.

"Yes. There's something that we need to ask you. Please come this way," the heels of her shoes clicked on the floor.

"Has something happened?" I panicked, "Is my sister alright?"

Kisara swiped an access pass on a scanner before pressing her hand up against a gel pad. A few lights blinked and then a section of the wall moved back, sliding into the wall like something out of a science fiction novel.

"In here, please," she led me into a small room. It was small and cramped. "Activate PORT."

And then –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

We landed in what looked like the Bat Cave, though judging by the red KCs on the wall, this was more like the Kaiba Cave than anything else. Strangely enough, the fact that Kaiba had a cave didn't surprise me.

Kisara lead me through the place, passed a series of military jets and workers in jumpsuits, "You are not to tell anyone about this."

"Yeah sure," I looked around as I jogged to keep up with her. "Though I may be wrong about this, but doesn't KaibaCorp have no contracts with the military at all?"

"That is true," she answered.

"So what's with the jets…and the tanks?" I asked as we passed a few of those.

"They aren't for the military. Good, you're here," we entered another room, which was occupied by a single figure. He swiveled around in his chair as we came in, his form slightly distorted from the massive computer screen behind him. Kisara introduced us, "Bakura, meet Syrus Truesdale. Syrus, this is Bakura."

Syrus raised his hand in a nervous, yet cheerful hello, "Y-you're Bakura? The Bakura? I've heard stories about you. Did you really house Atem in your room for a week while they were searching the nation her?"

"Yes," I answered blandly, not knowing how to take that.

"Wow!" He looked impressed, eyes widening behind small circular glasses, "That's really amazing!"

"Syrus," Kisara sighed exasperatedly. "I brought him here for a reason."

"Right," he stammered, looking her up and down, blushing a little. "Sorry, its just I'm a huge fan of Atem's. I had this site that I used to run, dedicated to finding her. That is, until they took it down. 'Who is Yugi Mutuo?' I called it. There was some amazing stuff that people brought to the table in the forums. So when KaibaCorp contacted me with the truth –"

"Syrus!"

"Sorry! Blabbering," he apologized again, turned back to his computer and typing frantically on the keyboard, "Well…um, Bakura, we've been keeping a close eye on your place since the break in on 1st. And at first I had a little problem even getting a good reading of the place. I thought I'd done something wrong, but then the others said they were getting similar reads, so…"

"A magical reading?" I asked, "The guys who broke in said that they were having trouble too."

"Well, I can imagine why. You see, this is was a home with an Other usually looks like under a scan," he pressed a button, before kicking his desk and sending his chair rolling backwards. He stopped it in the center of the room, just in time for a light to shine down from the ceiling, the 3D hologram of a house rotating in the middle.

"You see these lights?" Syrus pointed to the random glowing streams of purple surrounding the building, "That indicates that someone has been using purple magic inside. That's what you Others pick up when you get those smells, your Sixth Sense. However…Noah, could you please pull up the file on Bakura's house."

"I live to serve," the program's voice echoed around the room sarcastically.

"However," Syrus continued, "This is what your house looks like."

The image in the middle of the room dissolved and reformed itself into the house where I lived in Domino. Except there was something wrong with it.

"Holy shit," I whispered.

There was a bubble around the building, twisting and swirling with every colour imaginable. Now I understood what the man in the kitchen had meant when he said that it looked like almost every single person in all of existence had walked through my house.

"Well, yes, that's one way to put it," Syrus tilted his head to the side, chuckling awkwardly.

"What we want to know, Bakura, is just what this is?" Kisara asked.

"I have no idea," I told them. "Search my mind, if you think I'm lying."

And she did just that. I thought-smelled ozone as I felt Kisara digging around in my mind, searching through my memories for anything that could disprove what I was saying. When the spell faded, she frowned.

"Magic talks to your sister."

"She mentioned that. I told her to be careful," I explained.

"No, Bakura. I don't think you understand. Magic _talks_ to your sister. Not orders, talks," Kisara looked a bit frightened.

"What about it?" I asked, "You think that magic did that?" I point to the rotating bubble of colour that was my house.

"It makes sense. Bakura, there is a reason why your former reincarnations were erased from history. No one remembers them because magic removed them completely. Maybe it's disguising you so that no one realizes just who you are," she told me.

"No one remembers them?" I was shocked. How could no one remember the spirits? Akeifa, Game Master, and the rest of them, they'd done things in the past and were important. So how could no one know who they were?

"Maybe its different for you, but the only reason why anyone knows they exist is because of Atem," Kisara said.

"It would explain it, though," Syrus was back at his computer, analyzing the data from the file. "The different signatures, all jumbled together. I've never heard about magic taking such an active interest in someone before. But from what I hear, you're not just any old Other, are you Bakura?"

I looked away. I didn't ask to be born like this.

Then it kind of dawned on me, "You aren't an Other."

"Nope. No magical potential at all," Syrus smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm one hundred and fifty percent Normal."

"But you're not scared," I frowned.

"You just get used to it. Once I understood what the Ward did, it kind of stopped bothering me after a while. I find that's the way with most Normals I've talked to around here," he scratched his head. "I guess you could say that people fear the unknown. Once it becomes known, then it's not scary anymore."

I was totally stunned.

"Thank you, Syrus. Would you mind taking this new information to Seto?" Kisara ended the conversation on that note, taking me by the shoulder and steering me out of the room. She warned me as we went back into the main hanger, "You will not speak of this place to anyone."

"Where are we anyways?" I asked, "If this isn't for the military, then who's it for?"

She sighed, "Remember what I told you about those soulless bodies? They're not the biggest fish in the sea. We need these to fight the sharks."

I swallowed something very lumpy, "That's not good."

"No it is not."

"Are you winning?" I questioned.

She looked a little hopeless for a moment, "We're still alive. That counts for something in the end."

I wanted to ask more, but I was shoved into the small room again. All I heard was the words "Activate PORT" before the darkness consumed me once more.

* * *

_Wednesday, April 12__th__, 2017_

It wasn't telling, per say. Telling implied speaking and not 'accidently' letting it slip to Marik and Mana when they read my mind for 'practice' on Sunday. Mai had returned late Tuesday night, stumbling into her bed without a word. She was still there, catching up on her sleep.

I wanted to ask her all sorts of questions: where had she gone? What was happening? What was that mysterious place with the planes and the tanks that I'd gone to? But then Mai would probably tell Kisara that I was talking and then I'd have problems.

After my killer morning spar with Atem, I was wondering about something else.

"My apprenticeship forms are due soon," I told her.

"I'm aware," she answered, rolling her shoulder where I'd landed a solid hit.

"I was wondering, because I want to advance my skills in Necromancy, if…well, if you wanted to…" I trailed off when she looked at me in shock.

"Me?"

"You," I answered. Atem bit her lip.

"I travel around a lot. This is the longest time that I've stay in one place for over a hundred years. And its dangerous for me, let alone with someone else with me – " I cut her off, realizing that she was just giving me reasons for her not wanting me to tag along with her. I clenched my hands.

"Its fine. I understand," I guess I'd have to settle with that other guy that Shadi had mentioned at the beginning at the year – the one in Rwanda who was too busy to pick up the phone anymore. So much for my hopes of being with Atem.

"Bakura, its not like that," she took a step forward, trying to comfort me. I wouldn't let her.

"No, I get it. You don't want to be around me. It's was painful enough for you when you spent a week in my room, so four years is going to be a practical hell," my voice was hard and sharp. I didn't like it when I was like this. "But do you want to know what the worse thing is, Atem? You never seem to see just how painful it is for me."

She flinched like I'd slapped her. I continued, just as angry. God, was it so bad that I just wanted to be around her? "You don't know what it's like, seeing the things I do when I sleep. Feeling what he feels. Feeling how I –" I stopped myself right there, not wanting to let anything slip. I took a breath and started again.

"You never see me. You look, but all you see is him. And that hurts. And maybe I want to continue where he left off, but at the same time, I'm not him, damn it. I'm not."

I turned and left then. I didn't look back, not even when I heard her call my name. I was just so pissed right now, that she didn't accept me. Atem just provided a few lame excuses – she couldn't just admit it. Damn it. Damn it all to hell.

* * *

_Sunday, April 16__th__, 2017_

Mai asked me if I wanted to get some coffee with her this morning. I was actually a little weirded out because the statement "Wanna go get coffee with me sometime?" was usually used instead of "Wanna go out on a date?" in modern context. Not that Mai wasn't a total catch or anything, but she was kind of like family to me.

But here I was anyways, sitting in a local coffee shop with her. Mai went up to order because I told her that I had no cash at all. Her "Don't worry about it. I've got it covered" really made me panic because I knew that she didn't have much in the way of money either. She only spent it on things that she considered important, like gifts for friends on special occasions. Maybe poisoning was also on that list.

"I know you're a fan of tea, so I thought you'd like this," she placed a steaming mug on the table in front of me. "Its Earl Grey. Its one of the best sellers here."

"Mai, why are you doing this?" I asked, gingerly taking the tea into my hands, using drink to warm up my frozen fingers. Washington had been hit with a cold spell over the weekend and I was shivering.

"I've got two reasons, actually. One: I'm drafting you. You're now going to take part of a super secret espionage mission where you will be risking both life and limb."

I gapped, "W-what?"

Mai smirked, rolled her eyes and pointed across the street with a manicured nail. I looked and saw that Marik and Mana were sitting in the window of a nice looking restaurant. Oh, that's what she meant.

"Little Mana thought that she could pull a fast one on me, not telling me about her date," She laughed, eyeing the couple with a grin tugging her lips. "Do you know that this is the fourth time they've snuck out without telling us? Now I sound like her mother…"

"And the second reason?" I asked, wondering silently if I could test a drink for toxins (Touzoku said no, damn it).

Mai's jaw clenched visibly, "I hear you took a trip to Area 51 the other day."

It took me a few seconds to realize what she was referring to and even longer for my brain to process what it meant, "Area 51? I was in Nevada?"

"Nah, it's just what we call it," she rolled her eyes.

"I thought it was Kaiba's version of the Bat Cave," I breathed.

Mai snorted, "He'd totally be a better Caped Crusader than Bruce Wane could ever be. Either way, I'm getting off topic. So, what did they tell you?"

She leaned forwards, expecting and eager for answers. I took a long swig of tea, hoping that if it was in fact poisoned that it would take effect soon.

"Kisara took me to see this guy, Syrus. They did a few scans of my house after it got broken into and something weird turned up," I explained. "Apparently, magic's put up some sort of protection around the house so that you can't really scan for magic use in there."

Mai frowned, processing that information, "Who broke into your house?"

"A bunch of people, looking for Atem," I said.

"Were they Normal?"

I thought back to that night, "I think so. But they definitely knew about magic. They kept mentioning it."

"Were they jealous?" She looked very worried, "Or did they say that someone had given them a power of some sort."

I nodded, "Yeah. One of them said that they were chosen by God to wield a new power. You know what that means?"

Mai wiped her brow, though more in stress and not to get rid of it "Converts, by the sound of it. You got off lucky."

"What's a Convert?"

"They're Normals supped up on magical steroids. Imagine running on Combat magic all the time," she explained as my eyebrows rose. "They can't even shake someone's hand without accidentally crushing it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Steroids? This is about drugs?" I asked, stunned. I mean, of all the things that I was thinking, that were at the end of the list.

"Magical drugs," she corrected me. "Magical drugs that warp people's mind until there is nothing else in the world that they can think of. The Orichalcos is a brutally disgusting steroid that kills almost one hundred percent of its users. It shatters their souls when it's done with them."

"The Orichalcos? Where have I heard about that before – the first week! Solomon Moto! He mentioned them: Orichalcos stones! If they found anyone who had those, they would expel them," I almost jumped up with excitement. Finally! I had some answers. But then I frowned, "Wait a minute. How do you know about them? You asked Mako what they were."

"I lied, obviously. I wasn't about to blurt everything out," Mai rolled her eyes, smirking. "I thought that you were smarter than that."

"Why are you telling me this, though?" I hissed. "Why now?"

She reached across the table and gripped my hand, looking very scared. Her long golden curls hanging over her face, she grimaced, "There was a meeting earlier this week. Atem was there. She didn't look very happy."

I turned my head to the window, not saying anything. Mai continued, "I asked her afterwards what was wrong. She thinks that you believe that she doesn't want you as her apprentice."

"She doesn't. All she did was give excuses for –"

"But did she say that she didn't want you?" She pressed. "Bakura, you dumb, idiot boy. Do you have any idea what she's trying to tell you? Atem is trying to protect you."

"What? Why would I need protecting from?" I growled, "I'm not just some kid. I can fight too!"

"You're right. You're not just some kid, Bakura. You're an integral part of everything. There are so many people who have wanted to bring you into the fold. Kisara, Kaiba, even Ishizu has been thinking about it. But Atem told them not to," Mai sighed. "She's utterly terrified of letting you into this. She's convinced that when you learn about the Orichalcos, that your life will be cut short."

"But why would she care?"

"Do you honestly think that it's just a coincidence that all of the spirits in your head just happened to be her lovers?" Mai shook her head, "Bakura, whatever happened between the original you and her was so important that that's all she sees when she looks at you. Atem wants to protect you because you're all that matters to her in the end. Not the Orichalcos, not this war that she's been fighting, but you.

"Look," she sighed, "I'm not her number one fan or anything, but she's not trying to push you away. Atem would love you to become her apprentice; she just worried about your safety. She genuinely cares about you."

"But what about what I want? What if I want to fight?" I challenged her.

"That's the other thing. She's scared that you don't know what you're getting into. All you can see is the glory of combat, Bakura. You don't know what its like to actually be there," Mai closed her eyes to the world, as if to keep horrid images from seeping out of her mind and into mine. "You're just like I was in the beginning. I volunteered for this, thinking that I was going to change the world."

She laughed cruelly, "A few months later I saw my mentor's head crushed like a grape in the hands of a Gigas – they're bodies whose souls have been ripped from them. And in that moment I realized that there was no glory, just death and those who managed to survive. Atem knows that and is trying to protect you from it, from making a choice that you might regret. Because we're not winning, Bakura. We're losing and we're losing badly. The Orichalcos has already infected every government on the face of the earth. The police, the military, anyone with a badge could possibly have a chunk of that stone on them. And it's only a matter of time before they just decide to send everything into utter chaos."

"If you know that you're losing, why do you keep fighting?" I asked.

"Because I hope for the day that I can use magic out in the open and it won't matter. That's the main difference between them and us. The Orichalcos wants some sort of magical domination and Normal enslavement – or, at least we think they do. We, on the other hand, want equality so that we can live together in peace," a small tear leaked out of her eye, rolling down her cheek before being wiped away. "I don't want to hide anymore, but with people being controlled and manipulated and believing that having magic makes you better, that's never going to happen."

I said nothing for a while, staring at the table and searching for cracks in the wood surface, "We used to co-exist twelve hundred years ago. And we will again. I promise you that, Mai. I swear that we'll go back to that."

She nodded slightly, "Okay. Just don't get yourself killed in the process, all right? That why I wanted to tell you."

"I'll try," I squeezed her hand once more. There rest of our time sitting there in that coffee shop was spent in comfortable silence.

* * *

_I paced in the corridor, wearing a pattern into the stone floor with my anxiety. Atem was inside her father's personal chambers, trying to tell him about what we'd heard in the Children's meeting last night. It had been almost half a year since that night where we'd discovered that there was a spy in the palace. And now things were much, much worse._

_The Children of Toltex were planning an attack on the palace in a day's time. How they had managed to pool the resources was still beyond me._

_Atem stormed out of the room, the skirts that the king had forced her into wearing swishing around her legs._

"_So I take it he didn't believe you," I said as I followed along behind._

"_He wouldn't even consider it. Not unless I hauled my source up in front of him," she growled. "How could he be so stupid sometimes?"_

"_King Acalan is nobility at its finest," I mumbled under my breath. Atem looked at me out of the corner of her eye. I shrugged, "You're not a noble. Not to me, at least. Noble's don't care."_

"_And I do?"_

"_Of course, it's obvious. Someone who didn't care wouldn't have told the king anything. And you'll do something, even now. I know you," I told her. "I know you can't stand around while people are in danger, are suffering. So if you need any help, you've got me on you're side."_

_Atem stopped in her tracks suddenly and stood still, staring at me with eyes of wonder, "How did you know?"_

'_You did it before. Going to defy your father's orders once more? Count me in," I smirked._

_She took two very hesitant, very small steps towards me. And in her eyes was that look, the look she had given me many years ago when she backed me into a tree. The look that had briefly been on her face when she looked at Dartz. But that all didn't matter now._

_It was back. And Atem was looking at me with it._

"_I don't think I'll be able to get many of the soldiers to come along this time," she whispered, afraid someone would overhear._

"_You're their princess. They'll listen to you," I promised her._

"_And if we're dealing with the Children, we're going to need something big to throw at them. Something they aren't expecting," she continued. "We're going to need more than just soldiers and shamans."_

_I frowned, thinking hard about what we could do. I glanced out a nearby window and…_

_Yes, that would be perfect._

"_Atem? Who's buried over there?" I asked, pointing to a burial platform that I could see from where I was standing._

"_In the North Acropolis? That would be King Yax Ehb' Xoox, the founder of Tikal. He was my great grandfather. Why do you ask?" She questioned._

"_He must have been without god power, to have a burial. Would there be anything that could keep his spirit around long?" A demented smile worked its way onto my face._

"_According to the stories, the people who buried him never managed to find his head. Why…oh…that'll be…"_

"_Something they aren't expecting?" I supplied. "It'll definitely make an impact when the spirit of the founding father shows up for the battle as well. At the very least, it'll show people that there's a powerful Necromancer on our side."_

"_But can you do it? Can you hold a spirit that long?" She breathed._

_I nodded, "You're not the only one who's been practicing their skills in the last six months."_

_Atem took a minute to process everything that I'd said, formulating attack plans and thinking of who she would be able to talk into our mad plan. Soon a grin that almost mimicked mine exactly – I didn't know if I was in the right to think this, but that was one of the most intimidating things I'd ever seen her do – found its way onto her face._

"_Go to the North Acropolis. I need to have a talk with some of the men. Meet me back in my rooms by sundown," and with that she sped off, heading towards the barracks. I turned on my heel and raced down towards the main gate and I caught a hint of ice blue and –_

_What?_

_I looked back, only to see a tiny slave child walking in the opposite direction. Her swaying hips were the only thing to identify her has being female because of her relatively young age. Her black hair was messy and long, running down her back almost haphazardly._

_But what really bothered me was that I'd caught a glimpse of that girl's eyes. They were the same icy blue that I'd spotted in several other pairs of eyes around the castle._

_The girl turned around a corner and I followed her calling, "Wait a moment!"_

_She wasn't there. The corridor was empty. But I knew whom I'd just seen. And Atem and I were right._

_The Shape Changer was in the palace. And she, he, or whatever it was calling itself had blue god power that was colder than anything I'd ever seen before._

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank those who reviewed for the last chapter: Malik****'sStalker, Akikee, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, and ilovemanicures.**

**It's happened. You finally know what the mysterious force is. Yes, it is the Orichalcos. For those of you who haven't seen the anime, it was in the fourth season where there were Valon, Rafael, and Alister played cardgames on motorcycles before it was cool. In this series, though, it is a magical drug that gives Normals the chance to exist on Combat magic all the time. It does something to Others who use it as well. We'll learn more about it in the next chapter.**

**If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you know how to get in contact with me.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	29. The Orichalcos

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 29: The Orichalcos**

The Orichalcos is the most dangerous and deadly drug on the face of the earth. Though it, the Beast has toppled civilizations, murdered countless people, and ruined the lives of millions upon millions since its creation. She is the Devil. She is Hell and her demons that once descended on the earth in something that could almost be called Armageddon.

The End of Days. I remember it. I survived it, somehow.

I had to call Amane to help me write this section because she knows the story better than I do. She heard it from the mouth of the only being alive today that saw the Beast's creation: from Magic himself.

When the Ancients created the Shadow Realm all those years ago, they inadvertently gave it a consciousness. It manifested itself in the form of a young man. The Ancients, though they liked the power that Magic gave them and their new access to the Shadows, found him disgusting.

Not in the sense that Magic's form had an extra head or a gazillion eyes. No, Magic simply lacked perfection. Ancient children were born knowing how to walk and talk, but Magic needed to learn how to use his legs and voice like we do. 

But they needed Magic, so in order to keep him giving what they wanted, the Ancient Ones gave him a workroom with every material he could ever want. And it was in that room that Magic, lonely and seeking companionship, created the first human, breathing life into her with the first kiss in history.

The Ancients were even more horrified. Magic loved her.

He considered her to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. However, he had a difficult time trying to impress her, though. She thought that just because Magic created her didn't mean that she had to do everything that he said. If anything, that only spurred Magic on.

Her open defiance was something that the Ancients could never understand. In their world, everything had a hierarchy. It was logical: those who were lower on the ladder followed the orders of those above them. They labeled her even more barbaric than her creator, who had begun to abandon the Ancients in his pursuit of the woman he kept referring to as 'Heavenly Sound.'

Eventually, the Ancient king, Raa, told Magic that he would kill Heavenly Sound unless he create something for his 'parents.' Concerned for the safety of his love, Magic created the first Normals: humans that had no access to his powers whatsoever, but were still equally as strong willed. The Ancients' anger what dulled for the time and Heavenly Sound was allowed to live with Magic again.

Eventually, Heavenly Sound began to return Magic's feelings and they formed a family, having children of magical origin: the first Others. But he loved all of his children, even the ones that he had created. It didn't matter that they were Normal or Other; at the end of the day, they were human and they carried a bit of Magic within them where ever they went in the flames of their souls.

But as humans, they did not have a long to live. Magic's creations aged faster than Ancients, due to that connection with him. Even Heavenly Sound began to wither. Magic sat at her bedside, holding her hand when she died, and made it so that she would never leave him.

And so it started to address itself as 'we' and 'us.'

As the years passed on and Magic grew stronger and stronger, the Ancients realized that he was paying more attention to the humans than them. They had to ask Magic before they could start using his powers, but he gave them freely to humans – who were seen as lesser beings. They had finally had enough.

Raa, who was Ironheart's grandfather and Dartz's great-grandfather, ordered six of his greatest warriors to kidnap Magic from his workshop so that they could force him to give them his powers through birth. Magic flew into a blind rage, fueled by the anger and frustration of Heavenly Sound and all of his other children who had died and become one with him. And he cursed the six warriors.

These Ancients became the first bearers of Overpowers.

The first Shape Shifter was named Ijiraq and was cursed forget himself, becoming everyone and everything other than what he truly was. The man beside him, Ekibyogami, would never feel the skin of another living being ever again. He was the first Death Touch. The first Seer was a woman named Cerridwen. She would know all of time, but would have no way to change the horrors that she saw. Then Khnum, the first Creator, would have everything that he could ever want, but not have it mean anything at all. Supai was made to forget the living and have concern only for the dead. And finally the young woman, Nemain, was cursed to become a frenzied animal that would spill the blood of both friend and foe.

Raa left Magic to his own devices for the rest of his reign. However, he secretly worked on creating something that would bring Magic to his knees and, eventually, destroy it. Raa created the Orichalcos.

However, it was after his passing that the stone was actually brought into this world. Raa's son, Tonatiuh, performed the ritual and the green rock appeared in his hands, looking far too innocent to be compared to the chaos that it would later cause.

Magic remembers it as the day that he screamed.

* * *

_Tuesday, April 18__th__, 2017_

I submitted my apprenticeship application yesterday. It didn't take long, not with Marik hovering over my shoulders and making sure that I filled everything out properly. I asked to be placed with a Necromancer in order to properly learn how to use my Overpower. I secretly still hoped for Atem instead of the other guy, even though I knew it was unlikely.

I hadn't gone back to the Combat room for sparing since I'd had that fight I'd had with her. Not to say that I wasn't tempted. At one point, I'd even gone all the way to the elevator only to realize what I was doing and hurry back to the safety of my room. And then there was today.

I'd actually caught myself turning the doorknob of the bloody Combat room, having almost zero recollection of how I got there. I wondered if magic had possessed me or something, but that was silly. When magic possessed me before, I still felt like I was in control. This was probably just me doing something stupid.

My hand froze as I contemplated actually going in. I didn't know if I wanted to apologize, but at the same time I would like to at least speak to Atem about what I knew now. I wanted to get her story first, before I called another meeting with the spirits.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. She was standing at the far end of the room, in front of one of the tables that Kaiba had left in the room. Atem was still wearing Amane's old clothes. I thought that she'd taken a liking to them.

"Hey," I huffed. She jumped. I continued, "I know about the Orichalcos."

Atem didn't say whatever she was going to. Her face remained rigid, like it had been carved into stone, with her mouth hanging open slightly and eyes wide. Then, slowly, it transformed into something I could only call absolute horror.

"I want you to tell me what I'm getting into," I said sternly, leaving no room for interpretation. "I want you to tell me what I will be fighting if I am to go off with you. I want to know what's going to come after my family and I want to know now."

Atem seemed to sway on the spot, before stumbling over to the wall and pressing a hand against it for support.

"How?" She croaked.

"I have friends who don't like keeping secrets," I told her. "And neither do I."

She didn't comment, just nodded and slipped to the floor. I stood impassively by the door, hoping that she didn't see my fists clench at the thought that I'd scared she so much.

"I'm not sorry," she whispered. "For hiding it from you."

"I know. But I still want my answers."

She patted the spot on the floor beside her and then curled up into a ball of quivering limbs. I gave her a few minutes as I sat down beside her.

Finally, she gathered up the courage to speak, "Dartz and my father brought the Orichalcos back into the world."

I sucked in a breath. Dartz? I knew that guy was bad news, but this? And then there was her father. He'd been a part of this too?

"Wait…what do you mean 'back'?" I asked.

"The Orichalcos was created by the Ancient Ones originally. It literally broke Mu in two and the land fell into that great abyss of fire," she sighed, slowly raising her head and leaning into my shoulder. "And then it was covered by the ocean and all those who were still left on the continent drowned. At least, that's what I heard. I wasn't there."

"I know you weren't," I told her. She grimaced.

"Sorry. I'm used to having to explain to people that while I am old, I'm not _that_ old," Atem's hand bumped into mine before she slipped her fingers in between mine.

"You aren't that old," I agreed.

"Thank you," she snuggled closer to me. I let go of her hand to pull her into a one armed hug. "As I was saying, when he brought it back, Dartz and my father caused the Cut Off to occur. The Orichalcos practically ripped magic to shreds. It was horrible. I remember how everyone screamed. Those with magic had it worse. It felt like my soul was being torn in two."

"So because magic was practically destroyed, we lost all knowledge of what happened before the Orichalcos came back? It was what caused the Cut off?"

She nodded into my arm, "Yes."

"How did he do it?" I asked.

"How did he…oh…oh no," she begged me. "Please don't. I don't want to remember that. Please."

"Atem, I need to know. I need to know what I'm going to go up against," I said.

Atem stayed silent for a more few minutes. When she spoke again, it was in a raspy voice that I barely recognized, "Sacrifice. It took the blood, bones, and flesh of ninety-nine powerful shamans. And…" she whispered the last bit, "the soul of a single innocent."

I remembered what she'd told me at Christmas, that it was living sacrifice that had 'got us all into this mess.' This is what she meant.

"I'd seen a few sacrifices before. I'd even seen war before. But this was not right. It was not in the name of the gods or for the good of anyone. It wasn't sacrifice, it was slaughter," Atem's voice shaky and hesitant. "The blood ran down the temple stairs like a river. I could hear those people pleading for Dartz and my father to let them go – that they'd do anything. I felt so sick."

"Where was I during this?"

"You were…he was with me. Hog-tied at the bottom of the stairs together. The blood pooled where we were forced to lie. And the crying…" Atem practically whimpered. "Please, no more. I'll answer anything else, just not about that day."

"Okay, okay," I tried to comfort her. "What does the Orichalcos do? I heard that it was a drug – like a steroid."

"It is, sort of. It's not an actual source of magic, just something that forces magic to do it's bidding, through any means possible. It was originally created to subjugate magic, or so I hear. But what it does to its users is horrible. You've seen something like it in Amane," Atem explained. "She was never meant to be able to use magic, so when her Sixth Sense activates her brain translates it to pain. Amongst the Normal users of the Orichalcos, who's Limits are constantly released and are having magic that shouldn't be there pumped through their bodies…it eventually obliterates their souls. Your sister said that your father is a cop?"

My heart skipped a beat, "Yes. He works for the DCPD, the Domino City Police Department." I explained when I saw her not getting the acronym.

"When he stops touching people, I'm sorry, but he'll be hooked. It will happen eventually. If not now, then soon," she told me.

"No."

"Hmmm?"

"No. No. I'm not letting that happen to him. Dad may not be the best person in the world – hell, he's been a down right terrible father to me – but I can't just stand by and let him get hooked on some sort of drug!" I wouldn't let it happen. I couldn't. He was my father, for Pete's sake.

"Unless you can get him to quit his job, there's nothing you can do," Atem said soberly.

"Then what's the cure? Is there a rehab program?"

"Nothing other than pure will power can keep the symptoms away. Until the Orichalcos is dead and gone forever, they will always feel its tug. Trust me, I've seen it," she closed her eyes as she audibly ground her teeth.

"So what do you do? What do I do? I can't let Amane or my mother go through that," I looked for anything that could save my father. Atem just looked away. My throat seemed to constrict, "No…"

"There is no cure," she opened her eyes and fixed me with a looked that made it impossible not to see how this tiny girl had once been considered royalty, "except to destroy the source. Those who are addicted can't even escape by dying."

I simply stared at her, "This is it, isn't it? What you've been fighting against this whole time? For twelve hundred years?"

"Yes."

"And you haven't given up? Why?"

"Because the gods – magic – has promised to grant me a wish when I do," Atem told me. "The gods have sworn to lift my curse and give me the ability to die of old age."

"You want to die," I breathed.

"Yes. I want to die when my hair is grey and my skin is wrinkled. I want to die beside someone I care about after I've lived my life with him, like I should have been able to all those years before," she looked away from me.

My jaw dropped, thinking something along the lines of 'Did she just tell me that she wants to marry me?' Marriage meant kids and commitment, houses with white picket fences and mortgages. Marriage meant that an actual relationship needed to occur, not just this half-assed version of in-betweens where stuff happened but it didn't really at the same time. And I seriously doubted that that was going move on from that, like, ever.

After a few more moments of silence, I trusted my voice enough to say the next few words without cracking, "So what's a Convert? I know that they're Normals who use the Orichalcos, but what's their role in all of this?"

"From what I understand, Converts are foot soldiers and cannon fodder to who ever is leading their movement. They don't really care where these people live or die. Some know about magic, but only if they are high enough in the ranks. Most don't even know what is happening to them. Who you really need to watch out for are Infected. They're the Others version of a Convert," Atem shook her head. "They're frighteningly deadly. Imagine several people with Seto's or Kisara's power. Or even one of your reincarnation's strength.

"That's why they became as powerful as they did," she looked through me again as if trying to see the spirits. "To fight against the Infected. If they hadn't, they would have been killed. Until you become like them, I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"If you see an Infected, you do what your gut tells you to do: run. Run and never look back," she warned me.

I didn't promise her anything. I just stayed silent. She knew that I wouldn't run, not if I was protecting someone or something that mattered. Like my family or my friends. Or her.

"Also, you should know about the Gigas," she started again.

"They're soulless bodies," I told her what I already knew. "When a soul has been removed from the body and the body goes to find a compatible soul. If I see one, apparently I'm to aim for the big glowing target on its head."

Atem snorted, "Well, that's the general break down of it. It's just...Gigas are what becomes of Converts and Infecteds after their souls are destroyed. And though the bodies are trying to find a compatible soul, well, they never will. And that's what makes them so terrifying because there is nothing in the world that you can give them that they will take."

My fingers started to play with her hair against my will again. I couldn't help it; it was interesting. Besides, it wasn't as if she minded.

"I submitted my application yesterday. I wanted to study Necromancy," I said.

"There is no more Necromancy that you can learn from me," she said. "I am not a True Necromancer, as you most likely are. I cannot go beyond a possession myself."

"Oh…" I looked down at my feet. It wasn't that she didn't want me, it was that she just wouldn't be able to teach me anything else. "Okay. So what about that other guy? The one in Rwanda."

Atem tensed, "Bakura…we found out earlier this month why he stopped contacting us. Yusei Fudo is dead."

"Dead? How?"

"Murdered, by the looks of it. His entire team was gone and there was blood everywhere. But no one thought to check because Yusei was infamous for not responding to messages. We just thought that he'd dropped off the radar while sorting through spirits from the last genocide there and took his team with him," Atem looked up in prayer for a moment. "Our organization has been stretched so thin, we can't even look after our own people. Napoleon would be so ashamed of me. His network was flawlessly run. And that was before all these ridiculous concutors were invented."

"Computers," I corrected her.

"Yes, of course. Those things," she stretched out her legs as I realized that mine were cramping a little. "I want to give you something. Several somethings, for that matter."

Atem stood, working the feeling back into her foot as she walked over to the table she'd been staring at when I came in, "It was time that these were returned."

I felt the spirits shifting in my mind. Dark God must have started jumping up and down in excitement, It's Mr. Pointy! I've missed you!

"You let Dark God name an axe Mr. Pointy?" I looked at Atem incredulously as I looked down at five other weapons, once of which was a very sharp and deadly looking hatchet that could only belong to Dark God.

"He had a very complicated childhood," her voice was monotone.

"No kidding. No wonder he's insane," I muttered under my breath. "Are these all what I think they are?"

"If you're thinking that these are the weapons of your previous lives, then yes, these are exactly what you think they are," Atem nodded.

I slid my fingers over the shinning metal of what could only be Game Master's broadsword – _Destiny Board_, he whispered in the back of my mind. It's been too long.

"Are you sure? I mean, you've used these for a very long time," I picked up an old revolver from the table.

"So says the person who can't keep his hands off of them," she joked, before turning more serious. "No, I am sure. They are not mine. I borrowed them, so now I'm giving them back."

"But why?"

"I've been thinking about this ever since you mentioned that you could merge with them. But now…" she looked off to the side, "Now I know that I will not be able to keep you from this anymore. You should be armed with anything that can be of use to you. And they will."

"I don't even know how to use some of these things," I twirled a spear experimentally. If felt like it was made for me, or maybe I was made for it.

"Something tells me that that will change sooner or later," Atem stepped forward, placing her hands on mine. "Here. Hold it like this."

"Okay."

I tried the others out, just seeing how they felt in my hands. The spear was by far the easiest. I found out that it was Thief King's and he'd often use it to help him churn the clouds to create storm systems. For such a childish person, the guy sounded pretty awesome. He was probably the embodiment of the saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover.'

There were three types of swords that my reincarnations had used over the years. Touzoku obviously had his katana and Game Master his broadsword, but surprisingly enough Soul Steeler had a scimitar with a wicked curved edge. Then there was Mr. Pointy and Akeifa's gun. The last two were the hardest to get down. I had to remember to ask Marik how he used his handguns because apparently Akeifa's worked the same way.

But that day I came to a conclusion: that my past lives were quite possibly the most kickass people on the face of the fucking earth.

* * *

_Friday, April 21__st__, 2017_

"Team meeting!" I yelled out into the dark corridor on the other side of my mind. Touzoku followed me out of my door as we waited for the others to show up.

"Kisara's quite good at Healing," he kept talking about his (far too many greats to mention) granddaughter. "And the way she's combined her magic with modern medicine. I wonder if she will give me a bit of a refresher course. Would you mind asking?"

"Yes, yes, we all know how proud you are of that girl, Touzoku," Soul Steeler came out first, the hems of his robes swirling around his feet. The others followed suit with Dark God being the last to slink out of his Room. Thief King waved at me slightly from the side.

"The Orichalcos," I started off. "I want to know how to deal with those who use it and I want to know how to destroy it."

"Bit big for your breaches, boy," Game Master muttered.

"Isn't that what you did, though? Fight it?" I looked around, from one pair of demonic red eyes to another. "Please, I'm asking for information to help me finish what you started."

That last line made Game Master flinch noticeably as his face became drawn. He still didn't know what to make of Atem's actions after his death.

"How many governments are infected right now?" Akeifa asked.

"All of them," I relayed what Mai told me. He swore.

"Are you sure? How about America?" He turned to the others and explained a little of what happened during his time, "America was famous for throwing the Orichalcos out of their country during their Revolution. They sent the Princess to help us fight ours. We were winning."

"Was there an attack recently?" Soul Steeler asked, "Probably from the Middle East. When I was alive, it was the worst infected region on earth. The Little Girl once mentioned to me that it was because of a colony that used to exist there. The Originals?"

"The Ancients," I supplied, Touzoku saying the exact same thing a second behind me.

"Them, yes!" Soul Steeler corrected himself. "There was an Ancient colony in the area called Babylon that was there once and that helped spread the Orichalcos infection. So was there an attack?"

"It would have had to have been huge," Akeifa tried to help me narrow down my search. "America is _very_ good at defending its borders."

"The only thing I can think of is 9/11," I told them.

"What's that?" Thief King asked.

"9/11. September 11th, 2001: Islamic extremists slammed a pair of planes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. It was the biggest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbour," I explained.

"Can these 'planes' carry things?" Game Master frowned. I nodded. He sighed, "Well, there's how they did it. Probably filled them full of stones. Those things can practically fly when they're near an open flame."

But Akeifa disagreed, "But even then, America has ways of containing the Orichalcos. They should have been able to stop the spread –"

"Oh shit," my brain made the connection. "George Bush. He went to Ground Zero. The Blow horn Speech."

"Who is George Bush, what is Ground Zero, what is a blow horn, and why is this relevant?" Game Master snapped.

"He was the President at the time," I felt like slamming my head against the wall. "A President's like an elected king. And he went to the wreckage afterwards. There was this really famous news clip that Ms. Madusa kept showing us in history class when we studied 9/11 of him being there."

"How. Long. After." Akeifa was livid. I swallowed hard.

"Three days. He went there on the 14th."

"Son of a whore!" He punched the wall in his rage, "Why? Why didn't they tell him? This never should have happened! Why didn't she do anything?"

"Akeifa, no one saw it coming. No one, not even Atem. If she could have done something, she would have. She would have flown one of her dragons at it, I don't know. But no one is at fault for 9/11 except for the bastards who organized it," I yelled at him.

"But the question still remains: why there?" Thief King asked. "What's so important about New York City?"

I almost laughed at him, "What isn't important about New York City? It's got the United Nations, the stock exchange –"

"United Nations? Please don't tell me that that's an international government, Bakura-sama," Touzoku almost looked scared.

"Well, not really but…they flew a plane into that building too," I sucked in a breath. "There are representatives from almost every country in there."

"Where there any other planes that we should know about?" Game Master threw his hands up in the air.

"There was another, but the passengers rebelled and crashed it into a field. They think it was aimed for the White House," I told them. Game Master raised an eyebrow, silently asking for me to explain what that was, "It's like the royal palace."

"So they organized it so the chief would come to them instead of having them go to him," Thief King hummed. "Ingenious, really. They were not that smart when I was alive. They just attacked villages at random."

"Well isn't that just great," Game Master spat. "They've gotten smarter and taken over the world. You know what this means, right?" He addressed all the spirits, "It's all been for nothing. Everything we've done has been in vain."

"No it hasn't," came a whispered voice to my left.

"We died for nothing – nothing! Everything we ever accomplished, everything we ever did, was undone in a single day," Game Master let out a defeated laugh. "That's it. We've lost. The war's over. We might as well accept it."

"No it hasn't," and this time the voice was stronger. I turned and saw Dark God, who had remained silent up until this point, stand tall behind me. His chest heaved with each of his breaths, "It's not over. Don't you see? It's all part of the plan."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Kura-Bakura wants to know. He wants – they all want to know. Know what Magic has told me, his greatest soldier – me. The Lord whispers to me sometimes, do you know that? Whispers that are not whispers but shouts in a thousand million voices," Dark God rambled. "And do you want to know what he says?"

"What?" I yelled this time, "What has magic said?"

He grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me in the eye, "Listen – listen, listen Kura-Bakura. I am not a Seer, but Magic, it speaks through me sometimes. I will tell you something, now – what Magic has told to me: the war will be over in two years. Either side can win, but it will all be dependent what Heavenly Sound does."

"Who is Heavenly Sound?"

"The first human ever created by magic," Dark God explained. "Heavenly Sound will either kill the Beast or let her live on Judgment Day."

"What beast?" Game Master suddenly seemed interested. Dark God swung around and sneered at him.

"Do you believe in God, Game Master?" He laughed, "In Adam and Eve?"

"Of course I do. I am not some heathen," Game Master snarled.

"So then you must believe in the Beast as well," Dark God stalked forwards as the other spirit retreated, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh, yes. That Beast. _The_ Beast."

"You can't mean…?"

"The Devil? That's what you call her isn't it? I just call her the Beast," Dark God backed Game Master into the wall, blocking his escape by placing is hands on either side of him and whispering almost seductively in his ear. "The Apocalypse is coming, my dear. But there's only one horseman, not four, and he's already trotting around the place. So are you going to fight or are you going to lay down and take it?"

"But you can't kill the Devil, Dark God," Akeifa tried to reason with him. "The Devil stays in Hell."

"The Beast _hides_ in the pit," Dark God spat. "She hides and she lets her little horseman run around and set the world on fire. Because only then does she feel confident enough to step her toe out into reality. She remembers what humanity did to her the last time she tried to kill us. You know what happened, don't you Kura-Bakura? My Queen told you of the Ancients and what happened to Mu."

"She told me that the continent was split in two and everyone drowned," I said.

"Yes," he hissed. "The Beast was born in blood and so blood is all she knows. She sacrificed all the Ancients still left on Mu in order to create her little pit and hide herself from humanity. She _fears_ us so she created a place where she could not die."

"So the Beast will come out when she thinks she's got the advantage – and that advantage has something to do with the Orichalcos," I contemplated what I had heard. "But that still doesn't explain how we're supposed to kill her."

"Because you can't kill the Beast while she's in the pit, but she can't kill us either. So when she comes out, she's taking a risk," Touzoku realized. "Because only when she's out of the pit can you kill her. That's one huge gamble."

"That still doesn't answer _how_," I said again, turning to Dark God hoping for an answer. But there was none.

"It is not my place to know or pass on that message. So I do not know how. But I think…" he paused for a moment, "Heavenly Sound will know what to do."

"So we're hoping that this woman, this Heavenly Sound, will be able to do something," Game Master huffed. "Women aren't meant to make these kinds of decisions."

"Atem is a woman," I said.

"Shut up," he spat. "Don't start with that again."

"Aren't you a gambler? Isn't that where your title comes from?" Dark God licked his lips. "You are the Master of Games because you always win."

"I win because I cheat and I cheat badly," he barked.

"But you still win, don't you?"

"Stop it!" He yelled, "Just stop it! Even if I wanted to something, I couldn't. I'm dead!"

"Bakura-sama is a Necromancer," Touzoku whispered.

Four sets of red eyes turned to me. The samurai continued to stare straight forwards while Dark God's shoulder started to shake with suppressed laughter.

He threw his head back and let it loose.

It was a terrifying thing to watch Dark God laugh. It made me wonder who was the most powerful of all the spirits around me. I once thought that it would be Akeifa, but something told me I was wrong about that.

Akeifa probably had a line that he wouldn't cross. I doubted that Dark God had one.

When he finally stopped, he tilted his head towards me and spoke, "You, who was born in the form God himself, what will you do? Who will you become? Do you want to know of our powers? You've already had a taste; do you want the full meal?"

He reached out a hand. Akeifa stepped in front of me, protectively, "On his own time, Dark God. He doesn't need to see what's in your mind just yet."

"In time then. Don't worry. You'll come eventually," he smiled a demented smile that was all too familiar to me. Dark God snickered darkly all the way back to his room, closing the door behind him.

"I don't know what effect he had on our enemy," Game Master whispered. "But, by God, he frightens me."

* * *

_Sunday, April 23__rd__, 2017_

"So what exactly are Kaiba's exams like here?" Mana asked. She and Marik had finally convinced Mako and his group that Atem was not training me to become some kind of super fighting machine. They still stayed on the other side of the room from me as I lounged on my bed.

"They're different every year," Strings sent out his mental call. "Remember last year, Marik? He threw us all out of a plane into a jungle and told us to survive for two weeks. And the year before that we played Capture the Flag."

"That sounds a bit tame in comparison," I raised an eyebrow.

"Not when the 'flag' is located somewhere in the city's roughest areas," he continued, shooting me a memory. I saw him and a group of students running from what looked like a very dangerous gangster. "I mean, Kaiba makes sure that we don't die or anything, but its still pretty intense."

"They purposefully put us in dangerous situations?" Mana gapped as Marik and I made eye contact. Yet another thing to put on 'Signs that Atlantis is turning us into soldiers' list.

"I'm just hoping that it's the jungle one this year. I'm not a fan of those drug runners. I've seen enough of them back home," Mako sighed.

"So what's the extra week for? I doubt we'll be able to practice much at home," Weevil asked as I flopped down onto my bed, sketchbook in hand and searched the room for something to draw.

"Five bucks says it's to make us squirm," Rex muttered, barely glancing away from the Magic: The Gathering game he was playing with his best friend.

"I'm not taking that bet," I mumbled back at him. "Fucking sadist."

Mai came into the room just then without knocking, "Someone turn on the news."

"Has something happened?" Marik asked as I rolled off my bed. He logged onto the Internet and pulled up the ZTV News website.

"This news just in: only months after the devastating attack on the White House by Yugi Mutuo, President von Schroader and his family have been struck by yet another disaster. The First Lady, Carol von Schroader, has passed away," Archie Cooper spoke to the nation. "Going live to the scene in Washington, DC."

"Thank you Archie," said the young reporter as the screen switched to her, the background showing that she was standing in front of the Washington monument. "The First Lady was first reported ill in last January of this year and was taken to a state of the art facility to be treated for _typhus_. How she contracted the disease, which has historically been found in prisons and refugee camps where hygiene is poor, is unknown at this point.

"Lady Carol died earlier this morning. The President gave a brief yet touching speech about how they met and announced that her funeral will be held on Wednesday in a private ceremony in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden. Back to you, Archie."

"Our hearts go out to newly elected President von Schroader and his son, Leon, who will be turning twelve in August. One can only imagine what they are going through," Cooper said as a picture of the two was shown beside him.

"That kid's an Other," I whispered, remembering what Atem told me.

"How can you tell?" Rex asked.

"Look at his eyes," I pointed to the screen. "You ever seen eyes that colour on a Normal? Too earthy."

"Why's he dressed like a mummy?" Mai frowned. "He's got a full length coat and scarf on in this weather."

"No idea," I shook my head.

The announcement system turned on. I knew that it was only going to be a few moments before I was called, so I began to pack my stuff.

"Is Kaiba really doing this to make us sweat?" Weevil whined.

"Unofficially, yes. Officially, most high schools hold their proms either around this time or next month. It gives those who want to go the option, and those who want to crash it the ability," Mai explained. "And speaking of prom, I hear someone's got a date!"

Thankfully, she was not talking about me. Her eyes immediately went to Mana and Marik.

"Mai, you swore you wouldn't tell!"

"I never promised anything! But it's true, isn't it? You're going with Marik! I'm so happy for you two!" Mai practically giggled. It was like she'd returned back to the woman who I'd known, instead of the person she'd become in that coffee shop. Maybe that's what war did to you: make you become two different people.

I wondered if that would happen to me.

I said my good byes and ducked out to escape the chaos of Marik and Mana being hounded with questions. I shut the door and made my way to the elevator, thinking of how a week earlier, it hadn't worked and I was shown the Kaiba Cave in all of its glory.

But the button lit up and a few seconds later, the doors opened and I was ushered down to the lobby by the wonders of technology. I left the building and wandered into the alley where I activated the PORT.

I stepped out of the blackness and back to Domino City. I ducked out from in between the two strip malls, but bumped into someone in the process.

"Crap, sorry. I didn't see you there," I cursed.

"Oh! It's you," I recognized the voice of Serenity Wheeler. But the strange thing was, she didn't seem too scared of me. Not like she usually was, anyways. "I forgot to thank you for the gift on the weekend."

"Gift?"

"The window ornament. You gave it to me for my birthday," she smiled slightly. Oh wait; there was the familiar bit of fear. I noticed it in the way her grin seemed a little too wide, a little too twitchy.

But then her words caught up to me, "What are you talking about?"

Her rolled her eyes, "Don't you remember? You came back last weekend and hung out with all our friends at Duke's cousin's club. Though Amane did seem to be dragging you."

"I didn't come back," I told her.

"Yes, you did. It was really nice of you to find some time off from school to come home to be with your sister, even though you probably had to turn down a date with your girlfriend to do come," Serenity looked down at her feet. "I hope that she wasn't angry with you for coming home instead of staying with her."

"Come home? Girlfriend?" I squeaked out. What the hell was going on?

"Oh, was it supposed to be a secret? I saw you in the McDonalds with her when I was walking home a few weeks ago. You were…" she gave me a secret smile and I knew that she'd seen me kiss Atem. "Can I know her name?"

I panicked, saying the first fake female-ish name that came to my head, "Um, Danni. Danni…Green. And she's not my girlfriend. But that doesn't matter right now. Are you sure it was me? Because I know that I stayed at school over the weekend."

Serenity frowned before digging out her phone from the purse she was carrying. She pressed a few buttons and handed it to me, "We took pictures."

I started at my look alike in the photo. The resemblance was uncanny, so much so that for a second I believed that _this_ was what had become of the original me. But it couldn't be. The slave boy didn't look anything like this.

The imposter seemed almost too perfect to be real. His clothing was the purest of whites, the shirt tailored to fit his shoulders in a way that mine could never emulate. His face was schooled in a way that showed nothing of what he was thinking.

But it was his eyes that gave him away. It was not that they were trained on Amane in almost every picture Serenity had taken, but they were a colour I'd never seen in an Other before. Like the rest of the imposter, they were pure white. I could see nothing but his pupils, making him look completely inhuman.

I remembered that in the dreams, there was a Shape Shifter in the palace; a being that could become anyone and anything. What if…oh god, what if the imposter was a Shape Shifter? What if it was someone who used the Orichalcos, like a Convert or an Infected?

"Amane!" I shouted even though I knew full well that she couldn't hear me over here. So I decided to remedy that fact and run straight towards the house at top speed. Something had been with my sister and I was going to raise hell until I found out what.

No one fucks with my family. Not unless it was over my stone cold, dead corpse.

* * *

**Hello again!**

**I'd like to that those who reviewed for the last chapter: ilovemanicures, Malik'sStalker, Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele, Akikee, and Yuui.**

**I should really be studying for my exam right now. Its first thing in the morning. But no, Bakura seems to be calling my name more than ever now so I spent most of today writing. Not that its a bad thing. I'm actually kind of excited to finally be wrapping The First Year up. I've got one more chapter to write, so for you guys that means four more chapters to go.**

**I mentioned someone called Heavenly Sound in this chapter. She is pretty awesome girl to attract Magic's attention. And apparently, she's going to save the world or destroy it in two years time. But Heavenly Sound died several millennia ago, so how can she do what she's supposed to?**

**I just want to put this out there: writing Dark God's prophecy scene really scared me. He's absolutely frightening when he wants to be, which is frankly all the time.**

**As for the mysterious impostor at the end, there's no need to fear. If you've read the latest chapter of The Abnormal, then you know exactly who he is. Amane's just being...supportive, in her own little way.**

**If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, feel free to ask me. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	30. It's Not Amane's

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 30: It's Not Amane's**

_Monday, April 24__th__, 2017_

"Magic's lonely, Ryou. I just thought that he'd like to talk with people for once," Amane explained to me for the umpteenth time why she thought it was a good idea to go to an all-ages nightclub downtown on Serenity's birthday with the physical embodiment of _magic_. This must have been what she felt like when I was keeping Atem locked away in my bedroom.

"Then explain to me why I have been getting the weirdest looks from Devlin and Wheeler all freaking day," I hissed, ducking my head down to avoid the glares of the two that I just mentioned.

"I-I don't know," she bit her lip. Something told me that she was lying.

"Amane," I growled.

"He's _dying_, Ryou," she stressed. "He's got two years left, if that. I'm the only human that he's been able to even communicate with properly, because of what I am. He's sleeping more and more, saving up energy that he can do everything. That's why there are so few Others, because Magic just doesn't have the energy to keep up much of a population. I just wanted him to just talk with people before the end."

"Two years…how did you know?" I breathed my question.

"Magic told me. How do you know?" She frowned.

"Magic told someone I know who told me," I explained. "But he said that the war would be over in two years. He said nothing about magic dying. Uh, you know about the war, right?"

"The Orichalcos War. Yeah, I've heard of it. Magic told me about how Mu fell. He managed to keep the main castle; that's where his workshop is. It's very nice there," Amane sighed.

"Where is it?"

"In the Shadow Realm," she said it like it was obvious. "It's at its very core. It's where all the Shadow creatures live. Sangan says hello, by the way."

The fact that she was suddenly so knowledgeable in the ways of magic, almost as much as I was, was a little intimidating. But then I frowned.

"How did you survive going into the Realm? My Summoning teacher says that staying in there for too long can put you in a coma and destroy all your memories," I relayed what Shadi had taught our class once.

Amane tapped her head, "I'm an Abnormal, remember? I took your Enchantment magic. Nothing gets in, but nothing gets out either. Not even memories. Magic can't even read my mind."

"I bet it doesn't like that," I muttered.

She laughed, "He says that I surprise him. He likes good surprises."

I looked at her just then. My sister had the oddest smile on her face, black eyes bright with happiness. She even had a skip in her step. I raised an eyebrow at that.

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

"May 5th," she grinned. "Prom's next Friday. I can't wait."

"You usually don't go to things like this," I commented.

"Yes, but…this is different."

"How so?" I asked.

"You're coming," she said.

"I'm going to make a difference?"

"Yep. Consider it your first high school party," Amane wrapped her arms around mine, leaning against me. "I'm making sure that you don't get drunk off your arse."

"I'm not touching anything with alcohol in it. That stuff makes me sick, literally," I shuddered at the memory of the first time I'd tried beer. It was not pretty.

"Alright. Then I will do my duty and make sure to warn you if someone spikes the punch," she nodded, snuggling closer as we left the school and entered the cool spring air. I felt a little uncomfortable when I saw Devlin looking at the two of us with a very weird expression on his face. He got up and walked over to where we were.

"Bakura, can we talk?" He grunted, shifting his weight awkwardly and glancing between the two of us.

I assumed that he was referring to me and not my sister (we both had the same last name, after all) and shrugged out of Amane's grasp, saying that I'd meet her at the bus stop.

Devlin led me away from the general population of Domino High. I raised an eyebrow, "You know, you go any further and people are going to think that I'm going to try and sacrifice you to the Devil."

"Just…just shut up for a second," he groaned into his hands.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Look, I get that you and Amane have your own little secret going on, but do you think you could be a bit more subtle about it? I can only keep Joey from shouting it out for so long," Devlin growled.

"Wait, that's why you've been giving me looks all day? Geez, mate. I thought something had gone terribly wrong," I let out a nervous laugh.

"You think that this is funny?" He hissed, "If this reaches your parents, what do you think they're going to do?"

"Once I'm done with school here, Devlin, I'm gone – who cares what my parents think. I'm taking care of my sister. She's the one who started this whole thing anyways," I rolled my eyes. "She asked me, not the other way around."

"Amane…asked…she started this? I mean, I knew she always had a thing for you but…"

"Whoa! What are you talking about?" I'm sorry, what? Amane didn't have a thing for me, no way. That was stupid. We were brother and sister. That just didn't happen.

"What are you talking about?" Devlin looked equally perplexed.

"I'm her prom date," I told him. "She asked me to go with her."

He blinked in surprise, "You're the mystery boy?"

"Yes."

"So you're…coming out? As a couple? At prom?" He looked almost horrified.

"No!" I shouted, "No, we're not. We're not even together. I'm just boy repellant."

"But I know you are. I saw you – same thing with Joey. We saw you two together last weekend," he winced.

"Look, this is going to sound like the stupidest excuse ever, but that wasn't me," I told him.

"You're not triplets, are you?"

"No, but that wasn't me. Look me in the eye and tell me that I'm lying. I'm not the person you saw that day," I said forcefully. Devlin frowned and tried to see if I whether or not I was telling the truth. Then he stepped back violently.

"Holy shit! Holy…oh god! Your eyes. They're red," he stuttered. "How? They were white a week ago."

"It wasn't me," I told him again.

"But then, who was it?" Devlin's eyes were wide with shock.

"I can't tell you that. Seriously, it's better off if you didn't know. The last thing you want to do is get involved in this crazy stuff," I shook my head. Even if telling Devlin about magic would make him less scared of me, I wouldn't risk it, not with this war. Tea would have been defenseless if I wasn't there. I didn't want to see him dead.

"Who are you? What are you?" He began to back away.

I sighed, "I'm not anything special. There are other people like me. I just…sometimes I wish I wasn't. I could live life like you will, completely oblivious to the going ons of the world. But other times, I'm glad I'm not a Normal. It means I can keep people like you safe from the real monsters out there."

"Are you human?" Devlin whispered.

"I'd like to think I am, but I don't really know," I looked down, shaking my head. "Are you scared?"

"Terrified," he answered.

"Good. Means your head's on straight. Keep it like that," I told him as I walked away. Before I lefts completely, I turned back, "By the way, Amane wants to keep it a secret that we're going to prom together. Make sure it stays that way. And while I'm at it, I'll say it again: we're not together."

"But…I always thought…"

"God, what is with you people and wanting to know everything about my sex-life, which is, admittedly, non-existent?" I asked turning away entirely and walking towards the bus station. I gave him a little wave over my shoulder, coat flowing in the wind behind me in a way that must have looked pretty cool. It probably would have been better if I hadn't just admitted to being a bloody virgin.

Oh well, you can't have everything in life.

The bus was just pulling in when I arrived. I caught up to Amane just as she hopped on, finding a seat next to her.

"What did Duke want?" She asked, head leaning against my shoulder.

"Something about Serenity," I lied, making sure not to make eye contact. She'd be able to tell if I looked at her. "What's he like?"

"Who?"

"Magic. What's he like in person?" I asked.

A smile worked my way onto my sister's face, "He's awesome. I wish you could meet him, but it takes so much strength for him to maintain a physical presence where everyone can see him. He can only really last a day before he has to sleep. And…"

As Amane continued on, talking about the entity that had practically created life itself as if it was just some boy, it made me think. What exactly had gone on between her and magic to make Devlin think that we were together? And what was all that about him always knowing that Amane had a thing for me? That was just ridiculous.

But, as I looked at my sister, I wondered if I'd missed out on something entirely. I wondered just want kind of mess I'd gotten myself into.

* * *

_The palace was under attack. The Children of Toltex had slipped in through one of the many passages that the kitchen staff used to get food in and out of the main rooms. The guards had been surprised but prepared, thanks to Atem's warnings. They had managed to hold off the first attack, but they needed support._

_Support that I was going to provide from here. I'd broken into the tomb of King Yax Ehb' Xoox last night and managed to convince him that the kingdom he created was under attack again. He was needed in the defense, I told him. He allowed me to take on of his bones from his body – his thigh. His spirit followed me all the way back to the palace that had once been his._

_Now I sat in Atem's abandoned room, bone in hand and spirit beside me. I sat on the ground and extended my hands out over it, collecting my god power over the dead into my hands._

"_Vivamus rursus. Live once again,"_ _I muttered. My god power flowed into the remnants of the old king's corpse and into him. He shuddered; red fire erupting around his soul and wrapping itself around him like a cloak._

_King Yax Ehb' Xoox glowed red with my god power, breathing of the first time in over a hundred years. He laughed long and hard, before darting out of the room and into combat._

_Technically, the plan was that I was to stay here and hold the former king's spirit for as long as I could. But I wasn't going to leave Atem alone to fight. I pulled out the disguise that I'd used when I was escaping from the palace to go to the meetings, draping the cloak over my form. I attached the bone to my belt and grabbed my knife, slipping out of the room._

_I followed the sound of battle, knowing that she would be there. I heard the roar of the former king and followed him into the fight with a war cry of my own, leaping down from the ledge like a bird of prey._

_At first, there was shock. The Children had thought that an ally had joined them, until the king struck down one of their own. Atem, who had been part of the defending army, proclaimed that I was on our side and told her soldiers to attack. I fought back to back with her, slashing with my knife and casting spells with best of them._

_King Yax Ehb' Xoox was making short work of the Children of Toltex, cutting through their ranks with the skill of a trained killer who could never die. Atem shot a man through the eye with one of the arrows. He went down, clawing at his face._

"_I told you to stay away," she hissed through gritted teeth._

"_And leave you to the mercies of these big men. Not a chance princess. I've still got some manners left in me," I joked, gesturing towards the earth and making it swallow another Child._

"_Who taught you those? Because they did a terrible job," I heard her laugh as she let loose a fireball upon an unsuspecting enemy._

"_Oh, you know you love me, Atem, lack of educate and all – Get down!" I reached over her shoulder and set one of my Demons on someone who had tried to sneak up on her. At the same time, she twisted around, feet almost matching my movements perfectly, and sent a volley of compressed air towards one that was going to kill me._

"_We make a pretty good team," I commented._

_She said something that I didn't catch, suddenly catching the sight of ice blue flames on a screaming palace guard._

"_She's here," I growled._

"_Who?"_

"_The Shape Changer. She's here. I'll be right back," I darted off towards where I saw a shadow back into a corridor._

"_Damn it! Wait!" I heard Atem call after me. I ignored her, running after the Shape Changer. I knew that this was it. I could do this._

"_Stop!" I yelled, as the figure turned another corner. "Stop and face me, coward! I know who you are!"_

_Surprisingly, the shadow did just that, stopping dead in the center of the empty throne room (of course, King Acalan the coward would never be seen anywhere near a fight). I pulled my knife out, but it was a second too late. A stone struck the bone hanging from my hip, shattering it and destroying the control I had over King Yax Ehb' Xoox. I could feel his spirit fade back into its deathlike state._

"_I'd be surprised, but really I'm not," the Shape Changer laughed, turning and showing me the face of a man. I gasped. It was the same man who watched the door at the meetings. "The way you two look at each other. What? Was I never good enough for you, Bakura?"_

"_How do you know my name?" I had never given him that. How did he know?_

_The man's eyes began to glow an icy blue and fire burned around his body, blinding me for a second. When I looked back, I was staring at a face what was even more familiar._

"_You…but, that's impossible…"_

"_Is it? Is it really?" She mocked. "Were you truly that wrapped up in your precious princess not to notice who I was?"_

"_But Ix Chel? Why?" I pleaded. "You caused all of this. You caused the Purges. Why?"_

"_My name is not Ix Chel," she yelled. "I am Edina of Simlowe! And I did this because I could."_

* * *

_Friday, April 28__th__, 2017_

This was really not my day. In fact, I would go as far as to say that my day really sucked.

"You bastard! Stay still!" Joey yelled as he tried to punch me in the face.

Yep. Really not my day.

"Do you think I'm a masochist? Why would I stop so that you and your friends can beat on me?" I was hyped on Combat magic, dodging every punch that he threw.

Apparently Duke Devlin might have mentioned to Serenity who might have split to her brother who might have told the entire freaking world that I was going to prom with Amane. And now, because apparently it was a known 'fact' that I totally wanted to do my sister to the point where I would be willing to force her (they were some sick fucks, for coming up with this shit), the entire football team seemed to want to tear me limb from limb.

God, I hated high school sometimes.

The trick with group fights, as Akeifa has hastily explained to me, was to get all your opponents to line up so that you could take them on one at a time. That meant a lot of moving on your part, but if they started blocking each other's path to you, then it meant that you had to deal with less in the end.

However, since their coach had practically drilled flanking their opponents into their minds, I had to do a lot more dodging on my part than was supposed to be necessary.

And of course, I had to deal with the sharks. I could probably jump over them if I wanted to, but it would a little odd if I randomly leapt seven feet in the air. I wasn't about to completely blow my cover as an Other.

I circled around Nameless Goon Number Three as he tried to tackle me, attempting to tire them out so that I could escape without hassle. He ended up taking out one of his friends. As the two of them stumbled to their feet, I concentrated on Nameless Goon One and Four. I blocked one of their punches, rolling out of the way of another. Between Kaiba's and Atem's training, I could handle this.

But then it all decided to go completely and utterly south.

Amane, who Devlin had been holding her back the entire time, managed to escape by biting him in the arm – that seemed to be her response to every sort of crisis, it seemed. She ran out into the arena, screaming for Wheeler to stop. But the jock reacted on instinct, throwing out his fist and socking her in the jaw.

Amane fell down with a crunch and didn't get up. I saw red. Literally.

Something primal inside me snapped, turning the rest of the football team into simple obstacles that needed to be eliminated. I howled like a beast, sending Goon Number Four into the ground with a kick to the stomach. Number One had his nose and wrist broken. I flipped him into the air and onto his back with a single hand.

I sprinted towards Two, kicking him in the face and then elbowed Three in the temple, inefficiently knocking them out. Wheeler moved towards me and that voice called out to me again, sounding like a thousand million people were yelling the same two words at once.

"**Protect her."**

Wheeler tried to hit me. I caught his hand, stopping it in its tracks. Stepping inside his guard, I focused my magic in fist and backhanded the side of his head. Wheeler went flying into the sharks.

No one made a sound as I rushed over to Amane. Not even the rest of the team, cowering off to the sidelines, made any attempt to stop me. I knelt beside her, touching the red mark on her face. I healed it within a few minutes as her eyes opened.

"Hey," I whispered softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," she moaned. "Ryou? Is that you?"

"Yeah, its me," I told her.

"Can't tell sometimes. You look the same," she mumbled as I checked her eyes to see if they were dilating properly.

"So I've been told. Can you stand?"

"Uh-hm," she mumbled her response, nodding slightly. I helped her stand, holding her tight.

Just as we were about to leave, someone from the crowds called, "What the fuck was that? You were holding back the entire time!"

I threw the guy, Demetrius Trudge, one of my demented smiles, "If anyone else has a problem with me or my sister, you'll be joining these idiots in the hospital. Oh and one more thing: we're not screwing each other. Get your heads out of the gutter. Fucking perverts."

* * *

_Sunday, April 30__th__, 2017_

Mom was crying a bit yesterday. Amane got an acceptance letter from one of the colleges that she applied to earlier in the year, but had decided recently that she didn't want to go and get a higher education anymore. She said that she wanted to move out after graduation and work for a year to find herself, or something like that.

Personally, I blame her discovery of magic and how it threw her entire world into whack. But then again, learning that your brother wielded an otherworldly power and then somehow managed to talk with said otherworldly power would do that to anyone.

So mom cried. Dad was also disappointed, but he didn't say anything. Amane dragged me around the city looking at a few apartments that she saw in the newspaper. They were all pretty crappy, but within her price range. She also sent her resume around to a few local businesses, though she had yet to hear back from anyone.

But by the time morning had come around, mom still hadn't come to terms with the fact that not going to college this year didn't mean that Amane would never go. She started going through some of the boxes in the basement out of nostalgia. I rolled my eyes. She was just purposefully making herself sad. It seemed counter productive.

I walked down to the kitchen to grab something to drink from the fridge in the late afternoon. Mom was sitting in the living room but I couldn't see what she was doing. The television wasn't on and she didn't have her laptop with her. I didn't linger on the thought for too long; to be honest, I still wasn't over the whole 'embarrassment to the whole family' comment.

Dad came down the stairs as I grabbed a Pepsi, cracking it open and taking a swig of that wonderful carbonized cola.

"Darling? Natsuki, what's wrong?" Immediately, he went over to her. I noticed the touch that he placed on her shoulder and let out a small sigh. He wasn't a Convert – not yet at least. I wished that it would remain that way. If not…god, what was I going to do?

"I found this," mom whispered, indicating to something that she was holding. "Its baby clothing."

"Nat," he tried to reason with her, "Amane will change her mind. Don't worry about it. I'll talk to her. She'll see the light."

"It's not that," she whispered.

"Then what is it?"

"It's baby clothing," she repeated.

"Hey, it's making you upset. Let's just put her old clothes away for a moment –"

"It's not Amane's," my mother's voice was ragged. I froze, Pepsi dribbling out of my open mouth as my brain connected what she was saying to what it meant.

Mom was holding my baby clothes.

"They're Ryou's," she continued. "They're my…son's. I don't understand. Why? I…I loved him. Remember, in the hospital when he was born? I held them both – one in each arm."

"I…I remember," I heard dad say.

"So why? Why do I feel this way now? Why do I not want to see him? Am I a bad mother, Andrew?" She asked.

"He's a rotten egg, Nat. It had nothing to do with you. You've done nothing wrong," he tried to reason with her.

"I-I don't know anymore, Andrew. I just don't know," she got up, placing the clothing back in the box where it came from. Dad patted her on the shoulder, sighing as he stood and stretching out her back.

I just stood there for a while. She'd seen my baby clothes and _reacted_ to them. Mom wondered why she'd felt the way she did and…did she regret anything? Did she feel like something was wrong? I looked down at the soda can in my hands, wished that it would give me some answers.

It didn't.

* * *

As I've already said, the Ward can be bypassed if certain conditions can be met. Blind or vision-impaired people have an easier time fighting against it than anyone else. Also, those who realize that there is a problem and wonder why – a lot like what Duke and Serenity are capable of doing.

But then there is my mother. She remembers a time before the Ward activated for me.

You see, the Ward only kicks in when an Other is about two and a half or three years old. It does this because, if a parent were to fear its Other child in infancy, they would be more likely to abandon it or let it starve to death. This period of grace makes sure that those who use magic are able to survive.

However, once an Other learns how to move on its own, speak a few words, and acknowledge where food is, the Ward activates and distances all the Normals that were previously in its life are pushed away.

But those memories of before remain and will continue to remain. My mother realized that in that moment where she found my old clothes. And when the time comes, she will realize so much more.

I just wish that it hadn't taken the death of my father to do it.

* * *

_Thursday, May 4__th__, 2017_

"Ryou."

"But I don't want to," I whined. "And you already said that you don't really like the guy."

"Ryou."

I sighed, "This is where I say 'Yes, dear,' isn't it? God, it's like we're married."

Amane flinched, but didn't stop dragging me towards Joey Wheeler's hospital room, "This is for Serenity and her father. Joey's got a skull fracture and the doctors are saying that he might need surgery. They can't pay for that."

"I was protecting you," I hissed. "Besides, I'm not going to reveal myself. I can't, and especially not to Wheeler."

"He asked for you to help him," she said.

"What?"

"Well, technically he said 'Unless you're brother can pull another one of his rituals out of his ass, I'm fucked for the scholarship,' but he still mentioned you," she tried to reason with me. I wasn't buying it.

"Nice to know that he still thinks I'm in league with the Devil," I shivered at the thought, remembering Dark God and his whispers of the Beast.

Amane laughed nervously, "Please, Ryou? Serenity's so scared. And as much as I dislike the guy, Joey needs to play in the game coming up to get his scholarship to Columbia. Since you made it so that he's out of commission…"

"You thought it was best that I fix him? This is so stupid!" I groaned. I could have escaped at any time, but since I was whipped like a dog when it came to Amane, I let her pull me along anyways.

She opened the door, entering yet another white washed room. Did they have any colour in this place at all? Serenity was already there.

"Amane? I didn't know you were coming," the girl stood up, long hair swinging side to side in a ponytail.

"Yeah, well…um, surprise?" She grinned, holding out her arms.

Serenity giggled a little and then turned back to her brother, "Well, I'm afraid we'll have to tell Joey later. He's asleep now. The doctor says that's what's best for him, what with the crack and all."

"How are you doing?" Amane stepped forwards and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Serenity's jaw seemed to tense.

"We're struggling. Dad's been working extra shifts to pay for…Duke's offered, but we're not going to take his money. Besides," she laughed, but there was no humour in her voice, "his parents don't want him to have anything to do with me. It's only a matter of time before he calls this off."

"Oh Serenity," Amane whispered, pulling the girl into a hug. She gave me a pointed look through strands of auburn hair. I sighed, irritated. She was so good at guilt tripping me.

"I don't blame you," Serenity said through her sniffles. I realized that she was talking to me, "Joey was out of line. Who cares if you're going to prom with Amane? That doesn't mean anything. He shouldn't have fought you…he shouldn't have done any of those things to you. I just wish that things turned out differently."

And with that I was won over. Fuck, I was a sap.

Amane knew that I'd given in. She pulled back from Serenity, "Hey, you need some air. Why don't you come get some coffee with me?"

The girl nodded and my sister led her passed me and out the door. It closed behind them and I was left alone in the room with a sleeping Joey Wheeler. For a moment, I thought that I could just leave and be done with this. But then what would that make me? I'd be playing god, knowing that I had the ability to make Wheeler better but simply not doing anything.

I read over the doctor's chart at the foot of his bed, familiarizing myself with his condition. He had a scull fracture – more specifically, a depressed skull fracture – and was suffering from the blunt force trauma of my fist causing his bones to press against his brain.

Didn't know the idiot had one of those. But hey, who am I to argue with medical science?

Putting the chart back, I sat down on the chair that Serenity had previously occupied, reaching towards Wheeler's head injury.

"You owe me big time for this, you stupid prat," I growled as my hands burned red. I let my magic seep into his skull, healing the wound. But that wasn't enough. There was still something wrong with him.

His brain is still under pressure, Touzoku explained. Here, let me do this.

I felt the samurai's magic and memories flow back into mine. I gasped and we became one again. The lines appeared once more on my (our) skin, not glowing as Atem (Crazy Girl) had expected them to be – why? – but looking more like tattoos and ink.

I (We) sunk my (our) magic back into Wheeler's (the boy's) skull, shifting it away from his brain. Finally when I (we) were finished, I (we) pulled my (our) hands away and –

"Holy shit! What are you doing?" I (we) turned my (our) head towards a very shocked Tristan Taylor (child). He stood in the doorway, eyes wide with fear. He'd seen me (us) in this form.

"G-get away from him, you freak!" He screamed and Wheeler's (the boy's) eyes flickered open at the noise. I (we) leapt over his bed (futon) and escaped through the open window, destroying the screen in the process. My (our) clothing caught in the wind as I (we) re-entered the flame of my (our) soul. Magic rushed through my (our) body and absorbed the impact.

Touzoku let go of his hold on me and I returned to my singular existence. I looked back up at the window. Tristan was looking out of it, down towards me. I looked down at my hands to make sure that the lines were gone and charged off towards home.

I knew that this was a bad idea. And I was still going to have to face them all tomorrow night at prom. Fuck, tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

I had no idea how right I was.

Most high school students remember their prom night because of the dances and the dresses and the hook ups that happen later. Most remember the night fondly, looking back on it as a transition between the world of high school and the world of adulthood. 

I don't need to remember my prom night. It made the news.

Officially, there was a gas explosion in the hall where Domino High was hosting the thing. It claimed the lives of thirty students and injured seventy others. That's what Kaiba and the other leaders of the Rebellion implanted into the student's minds after the fact, anyways.

Unofficially, we were ambushed by fifteen police Converts, three Infected Others, and five Gigas bodies. They were looking for Atem and I, thinking that she was still hiding with me. I guess that they showed _him_ a picture of who lived in the house that they broke into and _he_ recognized me. I just wish it could have turned out differently.

My father was turned into a Convert that night.

Amane's Normal friends discovered my identity. One of them died.

I merged with one of the other spirits out of pure desperation.

I killed someone. Several someones.

Amane had to fake her death. I had to disappear like I'd never lived in Domino City at all.

And I got to snog Atem, once again displaying my ability to get some action with a girl in the middle of a combat zone.

Getting off topic.

So when I said that tomorrow was going to be a long day, I was right. Friday, May 5th, 2017 was probably one of the longest, most stressful and utterly insane days of my entire life.

And considering everything that I've been through, that's saying something.

* * *

**Hello!**

**I'd like to thank those who reviewed for the last chapter: Inopportune Opportunist, Malik'sStalker, ilovemanicures, Akikee, zukofan2005, and Ebony-Ivory-and-Rachele. You guys are and will always be awesome!**

**It's done. The final chapter has been written. So what does this mean for the future of The First Year? I'm going to be editing the entire story to get rid of spelling/grammar errors as well as fixing up any plot holes that exist in the previous chapters. Also, I'm going to finish The Abnormal before I go into writing The Second Year. So, every time I edit ten chapters and finish a chapter of The Abnormal, I'll post a chapter of The First Year. Then I'll probably drop of the radar for a little bit, not out of lack of interest, but because I need to write four chapters for The Second Year before I start posting.**

**So the next two chapters were originally planned as being one giant chapter, but since with would have been over forty pages long (I'm not exaggerating) I've split it up. So get ready for a double chapter battle scene.**

**Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and Christmas to all those who celebrate. To those who don't, then I hope you all enjoy the winter break.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	31. Death In The Modern World

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 31: Death in the Modern World**

_Friday, May 5__th__, 2017_  
_Time: 4:30pm_

There was a group of females in Amane's room. They were giggling. I was incredibly frightened to go anywhere near that place. I was totally justified in my fears. Laugh at me and you die.

Like the rest of the student body, we'd called in 'prom' to, apparently, get ready for the freaking event. For me, it was just an excuse not to go to class. For Amane and her girlfriends, it involved far too much make up and nail polish and utter chaos.

Someone, please help me.

I, on the other hand, sat very still on my bed, staring at the dark suit-thing that Amane had rented for me to wear tonight (using our parent's stolen credit card, I must have been wearing off on her). I felt a bit out of place going to prom. I was never one of the cool kids; I was never even semi-interesting. And now I was going to do this?

If someone had told me a year ago that I would even be considering attending prom, I would have told them to go get some serious medical help. But now…? What had happened to me in the last year?

Everything – absolutely everything had happened. Everything had changed. I wasn't the same person I was three hundred and sixty-five days ago.

I got up and started to get changed. The tie mystified me, so I looked it up on the Internet on how to properly tie it. Even then I was stumped. I guessed that I would have to ask someone to do it. This was more complicated than I thought.

I was still wrestling with it when Tea walked in. She was wearing the little purple number that I remembered from the evil day of shopping. Her brown hair was curled slightly and shifted to the side as she smirked.

"You know, I always thought that Amane was lying about the torture equipment. I just didn't think you'd be so into books," she looked around the room, eying my bookshelf in particular.

"I like reading. What about it?" I scoffed, more irritated at the piece of fabric in my hands than her. But then again, Tea Gardner had seemed to become much more tame after the weekend that she'd stayed over. She'd even stopped one of the girls on the cheerleading squad from staying some pretty nasty stuff about me the other day. It had been nice of her.

"Nothing," she rolled her eyes. "Need help with that?"

"Kind of. I'm hopeless at this," I gave up. As she came closer, I snickered, "Doesn't this violate the three foot rule, though?"

"Shut up," she punched me lightly in the shoulder. As Tea folded the tie correctly, she bit her lip, "Hey."

"What?"

"Why are you going with Amane?" She asked.

I sighed, exasperated, "She asked. She said that every other guy who asked only wanted to feel her up afterwards. I don't take advantage of people."

She almost smiled, "No you don't…"

"Tea? How are things at home with your mom?" I hesitated before asking, knowing that I was stepping on forbidden territory with her. She shrugged.

"Not great, but not bad either. I got into the human rights program in the college I wanted," she explained.

"Do you want to get into the UN or something?" I cringed. The UN was infected with the Orichalcos.

"You got something against the UN?" Tea saw my reaction, "No, I don't want to work for them. I've got my eyes on the coffee trade. Do you know that Ethiopian coffee farmers earn less than two dollars a day?"

I blinked. I didn't know that. It made me realize that there were problems in the world other than the dreaded Orichalcos. How much had I distanced myself from the rest of the world since I started going to Atlantis?

"I want to do something about that, but mom says I shouldn't. But I'm going to anyways," she took a step back and raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll say this much: you clean up pretty good. Though the hair needs work. Haven't you ever gotten a proper hair cut?"

"No," I said bluntly. She fidgeted.

"Parents?"

"Pretty much," I rolled my eyes. "I'm used to it, so don't beat yourself up."

"You should tie it back then. Away from your face," Tea recommended. "I'll ask Amane if she's got something."

"No, its fine," I reached behind my head, creating the red string that I used for stitches in Medicine. I pulled my hair back and into a small tail at the base of my neck.

"That was the most metro thing I've seen all week," she commented.

"Thanks, I think," I pouted a little. "Tea, why are you here?"

"You think I'm going to let my best friend's date look like he crawled out of a dumpster and took her to prom? Hell no. I said you clean up good; I never said you look good all the time. Most days, you look like you just rolled out of bed and went to school," I winced as she spoke. "Oh hell, don't tell me you actually do that."

"Well…" It was sort of the truth.

"If that girl you like ends up liking you back, it'll be a damn miracle," she smacked her palm into her forehead.

"She kind of does the same thing, most days," I commented back.

Tea raised an eyebrow at that, "So you're made for each other: a pair of slobs. What's her name anyways?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," I smirked.

"Funny. All right, if you're going to be like that at least tell me what she's like."

My smirk turned into a soft smile, "Amazing. Absolutely amazing. Half the stuff she's done, no ones ever even thought were possible. She's so strong, not just physically either. Mentally. Spiritually, I guess you could say as well."

Tea looked at me funny for a few seconds, "You really care about this chick, don't you?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"Then why didn't you invite her?" She asked, "You could have gone with her instead of with Amane."

I almost laughed. Really, asking Atem to go to prom with me? She probably didn't even know what it was.

"She doesn't have much in the way of money. None of us do, for that matter," I said. She made a little noise of confusion, so I added, "Us at Atlantis. It takes in kids from some pretty destitute situations and gives a chance. I've got a pretty tame family life in comparison to some of the others I've met there."

"Somehow I doubt that anyone could get any worse that what you told me about," Tea rubbed her arm.

"I've got a friend whose parents called an exorcist when he told them he was gay. The process nearly killed him. He hasn't gone home in three years because they'll call the police on him," I told her. She gasped.

"Oh my god!"

"Trust me, there are much worse stories. But it's better now. We've all got each other," I snickered a bit. "It sounds sort of cheesy when I put it like that, but it's the truth."

"But why? Why would anyone do that to their child?" She whispered.

I sighed, "For the same reason why you feel that unexplainable fear whenever you're near me, Tea. It's not your fault; it's just the way I am. It's the way I was made."

"And your girl. What about her?"

I hesitated for a moment, "She's similar, but different. Crazy past, but that's to be expected." I sighed again, "Come on. Lets get you back to Amane. This conversation is depressing."

"Y-yeah," she nodded, following me out of my room.

It wasn't friendship, but at the moment, what Tea and I had was pretty okay. Not many kids like me could say that they'd become relatively civil with the queen bee of their high school by making out with her. Not that I was most kids.

Though sometimes I wondered if I'd ever been a kid at all.

* * *

_Time: 6:30pm_

I caught a ride in the limo that Devlin's family owned. It made me feel a bit like a celebrity climbing into that thing. I was sandwiched between Amane and Miho, while Serenity cuddled up next to her boyfriend.

I guess that this was a perk of being friends with the richest kid in school. Not that I was Devlin's friend or anything – Amane was.

Things turned awkward when I noticed that Taylor was giving me a death glare from where he was sitting with Wheeler. I'd almost forgotten that yesterday, he'd caught me performing a healing on the jock. It seemed to have worked, since Wheeler was no longer bedridden. I rolled my eyes at him; they should be thanking me, not cursing me without words.

The driver parked around the back. Devlin handed him a few bills through the driver's side window and told him that he would call when they would leave. Apparently there was an after party that we would be attending. Amane promised to warn me if there was alcohol.

"Don't want to puke again," I muttered as we clambered out of the car. I heard Wheeler snort.

"You a light weight, you god damn freak?" He sneered.

"I just don't want to get sick. That stuff is toxic," I threw back at him. "Why you feel the need to purposefully poison yourself to have fun is beyond me."

That shut him up for now. Taylor, though, wasn't so easy to intimidate.

"Enough talk," he growled in defense of his friend, grabbing me by the lapels. "You're going to tell me what you did right now."

There were a few gasps that went around those who could see us. The conversation around us ground to a halt. People didn't mess with me these days – not to my face, anyways. In their eyes, Taylor was risking loosing that hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I stared him directly in the eyes. He was unable to hold my gaze for long, but persisted to attempt to scare me into telling him answers.

"You know exactly what I mean, you freak. What did you do to Joey? I swear to god if you've hurt him in any way I'll –"

"Is he better?" I asked softly.

"W-what?" Taylor stuttered.

"Is he feeling better?" I was a bit more forceful this time, "Is he out of the hospital and walking around as if nothing happened?"

"Well, yeah…but –"

"Then, hypothetically, if I did something, it wasn't anything bad, was it?" I turned around and walked back towards Amane.

"You're not human," Wheeler hissed as the talking started up again. "I saw what you are. Amane, get away from him. He's dangerous."

"I know what Ryou is," she snapped at her former boyfriend. "I don't need you to defend me."

"You didn't see what he became," he tried again, but it was in vain. Amane secured her arm around mine and smiled at me. I returned it, if only to freak Wheeler out.

"I told you. I know what Ryou is. We don't have secrets, Joey. Besides," she told the jock. "Ryou doesn't like you. Hypothetically, who do you think it was that convinced him to help you?"

Wheeler's eyes popped, looking between the two of us. I could see his brain trying o compute what we'd just said. I smiled my rather infamous demented smile.

"So, hypothetically, if I did help you, you know that you owe me your first born, right?"

"Ryou! Don't be mean!"

"I'm just having some – OW! Why did you hit me?"

"Like that actually hurt."

"I call child abuse!"

"You're older than me."

"By only ten minutes!"

"Uh! Ryou!"

Smack.

"This is _so_ child abuse," I moped as I was dragged through the door. We showed our tickets to the person there and got in line for pictures.

So far, so good, I thought.

* * *

_Time: 7:00pm_

The music started playing. It was some club beat that I was unfamiliar with, with a pounding base and an auto tuned singer. I sat off to the side and kept an eye out for people attempting to pick up my sister.

So what if I was protective. I was here to be jackal-repellant, so repellant I would be.

The chair beside me scraped against the floor as someone sat down on it. A glass thumbed against the table a second after Devlin downed it.

"The bar is dry, so if you're trying to drown your sorrows in something, you're going about it the wrong way," I leaned back, stretching my legs out.

"You said that there were other people like you," he said hoarsely. Devlin's eyes darted around the room, paranoid.

"Whoa, what's up with you? Aren't you supposed to be having the time of your life with Serenity? You look like you haven't slept in forever," I frowned. He looked like he did the day in the park.

"I've barely slept. Tristan called me last night after Joey was released from the hospital…told me what he saw…And then everything just came back, all the times I thought that you'd done impossible things," Devlin shook his head to clear it. "You said that there were other's like you. How many others? And what – what makes you as different? Is it the eye thing?"

"What eye thing?" I asked.

"Tristan said your eyes were red – completely red," he motioned in front of his face. "And you had tattoos all over."

"Do you really believe him?" I threw him a glance.

"Honestly, yes. I know what you did to Bandit Keith, so I'm willing to believe just about anything with you right now," he admitted.

My heart stopped, "You know? How? It was covered up. And Amane never told anyone."

"I guessed a long time ago," he said.

I sighed, "The eye thing is unique to a minority of my people. And the lines are unique to me, I think."

"But its real, isn't it? I'm not just crazy," he looked desperate for the knowledge.

I nodded, "You're not crazy. I know what it's like to feel like you're crazy, but you're not."

"It's just…ever since we got here, my bones have been aching," Devlin rubbed his hands together with nerves. "Not like I'm tired, but they actually ache. But that's not possible; bones don't have nerves."

"Bones are incredibly powerful. Even Normals can get information from them. Normals are people like you," I explained. "And it started a few minutes ago?"

He nodded, but didn't say anything. I frowned in thought, "Has it ever happened before?"

"Not really," he moaned, hands shaking in pain. "So are you some kind of super soldier?"

"Ah…um, never heard it referred to like that before," I rubbed the back of my head. "I'm not a superhero, if that's what you're thinking."

"That school, they're doing something to you. Giving you steroids and shit," Devlin looked like he was going to puke.

"NO!" I shouted, "No. I'm not on any drugs. I don't do that stuff. It kills people, messes up everything!"

But he just laid his head on the table, clutching his stomach. I took pity on him, "Here, let me have a look at you and see if I can do anything."

"Will I owe you my first born?" Devlin said through clenched teeth.

"Nah, I was just messing with Wheeler," I extended my hand and touched his skin, planning to run the diagnostic spell I'd picked up off of Touzoku when –

"**Problem – Beast – barrier – tried to – can't – Normal – won't expect – back up – Gigas – weakness – regeneration – Immortal Mortal – Shattered Soul – merge – Dark God – PROTECT!" **

- I pulled away, breathing shakily. Devlin sat up suddenly, "How did you do that? I feel better."

"Did you hear that?" I looked around frightened, thinking that something was going to come out of the ceiling any moment.

"Hear what?"

"That voice," I hissed. "It sounded like…but why would it be worried about anything here?"

"What voice? What's worried?" Devlin tried to get information out me, but Amane had dragged Tea off of the dance floor. Her other friends trotted behind them.

"You feeling any better, Duke?" Serenity asked softly, touching his shoulder. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good now. Thanks," he glanced over to me when he said that last bit. I barely paused in my desperate searching of the room to care. Shit was about to go down and I didn't know what or when or how. If only magic would just talk –

Wait a second! Amane! Magic talked to her, so maybe she had some idea about what was going on.

"Hey," I nudged her in the arm as a slow song came on, "You wanna dance?"

She whipped her head around so fast I was temporarily worried for the sake of her neck. Amane gaped at me for a second, before timidly saying yes.

I knew that what we were about to do would spawn so many rumours to be passed around the school. I didn't care. We'd be out of this stupid place in a month, anyways.

I placed my hands on her waist as Amane's arms wrapped around my neck. I swayed on the spot for a few seconds before we both came to the conclusion to start spinning slowly in a circle. I bent down to whisper in her ear, "We need to talk. Something's about to happen – something bad."

Amane looked up, somewhat distracted by something, "I'm sorry?"

"Magic just tried to send me a warning through Devlin. That's why the guy was feeling like crap earlier," I explained. "Has magic told you anything about tonight?"

"Magic? Oh, he's…um…no, not really. He's said to invite you, but he's been kind of busy lately. I have to go to him mostly, these days," she said, leaning forwards to rest her chin on my shoulder.

"Magic wanted me here?" I frowned.

"Something like that," she whispered.

"Amane," I was getting kind of weirded out. "What exactly is your relationship with magic? What does it want from you?"

"We're friends," she told me, though I personally didn't believe that it was the full story. I could feel her smirk slightly, "Why? You jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No. Of course, you wouldn't," Amane sighed. "You know I'll always be there for you, Ryou. Always. Through thick and thin."

"I know," I smiled at that.

"No, you don't realize it. I mean," she looked at me, eye to eye, "I will be there. I know you're going to fight in the War and I want you to know that I am, too."

"No you're not," I nearly shouted. The song was almost over. "You're not getting involved in this. You should stay at home, where you're safe."

"Safe? Ryou, I know about dad. I know what he'll become in the future. I won't be safe if I stay here, but I don't want to see that happen to him either," she cried. "He's my father, too. I don't want him to die that way."

The song switched back to a club beat I stepped back. I looked her up and down and realized that she was completely serious. Amane wanted to fight, just like I did. Fight for our family. Fight for the world.

"Magic doesn't feel things anymore, Ryou. He doesn't know happiness or sadness, anger or jealously. But at the same time, he says…he says that if he was capable of love, that he would love me," she explained.

My jaw dropped, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Probably."

"But, it's magic."

"So says the guy who likes the Immortal," she scoffed.

"At least Atem's human," I countered. "But Amane, you said that whenever it shows up, magic looks like me."

"Yes, he does," she answered.

"Doesn't that bother you? I mean, it would be almost like kissing me," I stuttered.

Amane closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. People were dancing all around us and the lights were flashing so much that my eyes were watering. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

"Ryou," she said finally, "There's something you need to know."

But she never got to tell me. Tea bounded over and grabbed the both of us by the hands, attempting to dance with us and cracking a joke about having a threesome. The both of us went red as the meaning of that comment finally clicked in our heads, though something told me Amane was not blushing out of slight horror.

Did she really…?

And then Devlin and Serenity were there. Joey and Tristan were too. Even shy little Miho was dancing and it was kind of fun – really fun – so a grin might have worked its way onto my face. Prom was cool, I finally admitted, as Tea grabbed me by the tie and pulled me into some kind of hug thing that might have been intended as a grope.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw who had just walked in the front door. It was…she was…

Atem was wearing a dress. I understood just how my original self had been so surprised the first time he saw her wearing one. It looked like a sundress, not something that you would expect anyone to wear to prom. The black fabric brushed against her knees as she looked around the room, Amane's wig atop her head. I kind of caught myself staring at her legs a bit.

"Excuse me," I murmured, stepping away from Tea and her attempt to grab me again. I made my way over to Atem in an almost hypnotic daze. She spotted me and smiled.

"You look nice," she said lightly.

"You look beautiful," I licked my suddenly dry lips.

"Oh, this thing," Atem motioned down to the dress. "Kisara insisted that I wear it, saying that I wasn't going to get through the door if I didn't. I don't like it."

"No. You. You look amazing," I didn't even know why I was allowing myself to say that. I tried to clear my head, "What are you doing here? I mean, I'm not complaining, but still: why?"

She produced a piece of paper out of the Realm. It was folded into thirds. "This is for you."

She held it out and I took it, opening it up. It was a response letter to my application for my apprenticeship. There was a whole bunch of text that I skipped over, looking directly at who had accepted me.

I couldn't understand who, just that they'd written their name with some kind of hieroglyphics. Very familiar hieroglyphics. Mayan hieroglyphics.

Oh. _Oh_.

"You," I looked up, astounded. "You said yes."

"I never said no, Bakura," she smirked. "I've decided to stop running. We need your power as a True Necromancer. And I…I would like you to be around more often. But it's going to be dangerous, very dangerous. There will be times where we might be unable to bring you back to class. And I can't promise that it will be – eek!"

I couldn't help it. I hugged her, grinning like an idiot. The danger didn't matter. All that I cared about was that she'd said that she'd like me to be with her. She cared. She _cared_.

I felt her return my embrace and I smiled into the top of her wig.

"I lied, you know," Atem somehow wormed her way closer to me. "I don't think you look nice. I think you look _very_ handsome."

That was one hell of an ego booster, "I didn't lie."

I thought that we had a moment just then. We both leaned back at the same time and then I noticed that Atem's face was slowly getting closer to mine. I could feel her breath on my face, noticed the deep maroon colour of her eyes. Our noses brushed and I couldn't see anything that wasn't related to her.

But then Atem tore herself away from me, straightening her dress and looking just beyond my shoulder. Amane stood there and she looked like she'd very much like to hit something.

I was about to say something when Wheeler came over to talk to my sister, "Hey, why'd you leave so fast – who the hell are you?"

He raised an eyebrow at Atem. His loud voice got the attention of Amane's other friends and they came over to investigate. Serenity looked ecstatic.

"You're Danni Green, aren't you?" She grinned at Atem, extending her hand for the Immortal to shake. "Bakura's mentioned you a few times. I'm Serenity Wheeler."

Atem gave me a look, but shoved a polite smile onto her face, "It's very nice to meet you Serenity. And who are you all? Friends of yours, Bakura?"

"Sort of," I rolled my eyes. Like I'd ever be a friend of Joey Wheeler.

"Oh my god! You're her," Tea squealed. "You're the girl that he – oh my god!"

"I see I've been mentioned a few times," Atem continued to look smugly in my direction. "Hopefully, in a good light."

"You're picking on me, aren't you?" I mumbled, "This could be considered child abuse."

Amane snorted, the only one to get the joke besides Atem and I. Finally, Devlin stepped forwards, "You go to Atlantis."

Atem blinked, "Yes."

He looked over at me, questioning with his eyes only, asking if she was like me. I nodded. He paled slightly.

"I thought he wasn't inviting you," Tea inquired.

"He didn't. I'm crashing," Atem grinned.

"How'd you get in the door?" Wheeler actually looked like he thought that was pretty cool.

"Because she's a con artist," I coughed under my breath. Atem elbowed me. Yep, definitely becoming a reoccurring thing between us. Tea must of caught what I said as well, because she looked like she had a thousand questions.

"Amane, how are you?" Atem stepped forwards, "It's been too long."

"I'm…doing alright," my sister tried to hide her smile. "You?"

"Life is always an adventure," she returned.

"That it is," Amane responded. "Are you staying long?"

"I might. It seems like an alright night to just – ugh!"

Atem brought her hands to her mouth, as if she was going to vomit. Amane and I helped her stay standing. I asked immediately, "Are you sick again?"

"No, no! Not here! They can't be here!" Atem looked around, eyes wide. "We need to get everyone out of here."

"Why? What's going on?" I withstood her weight as her knees began to shake.

"Bakura, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to have to face this so soon, but it seems luck is not on our side," the Immortal attempted to right herself. "Amane, the people in this room trust you more than they will either your brother or I. Can you get them to evacuate?"

"Atem, you need to tell us what's going on," I said again.

"Atem? I thought her name was Danni," Devlin whispered. "I've heard that name before."

"Bakura, Amane: they're glowing," the Immortal hissed, this time backing up and actually vomiting on the floor.

My heart stopped and I was pretty sure my sister's did to. We looked at each other and then, as if scripted, pulled out our charms as one.

And Atem was right. The bat charms that indicated whether or not there was a Gigas in the area were glowing.

"Oh god," I whispered.

"Is this some sort of game?" Serenity asked.

"No," Amane said, suddenly very serious. "We need to get everyone out right now."

"Bakura, call Seto. Tell him he needs everyone. I can sense at least five Gigas and there's a bunch of Converts coming with them. They'll arrive within minutes," Atem ordered, finally in control of herself.

I was on the phone, screaming her instructions into the speaker before you could say 'utter terror.' Amane was ushering her friends away from the door.

"You too," she told Atem. "They're probably here for you, so you have to hide. I'm not taking no for an answer."

The Immortal winced, "This is not going to be good."

I got off the phone and searched around the room for a fire alarm to pull. I spotted on the other side of the room, flung my hand out and willed the switch to flip. Nothing happened. They'd cut the line.

It meant that they were here.

"The fire alarm isn't working," I yelled back at Atem.

Amane ordered her friends to stay still, ignoring Taylor's "You're being stupid. What really going on?" as she rushed over to where the DJ was, stealing his microphone.

"Everyone listen to me," as she yelled, her voice was amplified and rang around the room. People stopped dancing to hear her. "You all have to leave right now. Just get out and don't come back here. Please."

There was a few seconds of silence before the entire graduating class started to laugh. A few people thought Amane was drunk and blabbering. The DJ removed the microphone from her hands.

Someone, a girl, said, "Hey! What are the police doing outside?"

And that's when it happened. My whole world changed forever.

* * *

In the next part, you're going to see a conversation between my father and I. I'm going to ask a favour of you, though I doubt that you will heed it: please don't hate him for what he's about to say or do. I was told that he was a good man, a good cop. Amane says he was a good father.

I will be the first to admit that he was a pretty shitty dad to me, but that's because of the Ward and the Orichalcos and not who he actually was. But I've heard some great things about him from other people. So please, if you're going to think of him as anything, think of him as the man I never got to meet. Think of him as Andrew Bakura, the man who solved some of the toughest cases in Domino City. The man who asked my mother to marry her on New Years Eve as the clock struck twelve. The man who loved to play golf and wanted to go to a Nascar race on day.

Think of him as I choose to remember him: a good person.

* * *

_Time: 8:13pm_

They didn't sound like something was popping, but they weren't loud bangs either. It was a continuous sound, one after the other. It was the sound of death in the modern world.

The sound of semi-automatic rifle.

I couldn't tell you how many shots went off, but I could tell you went it stopped. That's when the screaming began. Screams of shock, fear, and pain. Lots of pain. People – people I'd gone to school with – had been shot.

I managed to over turn a table and hide behind it with Atem and Miho just before the police started shooting. I only prayed that the others were all right, prayed to magic to take care of its people. It was the closest thing to a god that I knew existed.

But magic couldn't do anything.

"NO!"

I never thought I'd hear that degree of anguish come out of Joey Wheeler's mouth before. He screamed, leaning over a body as the dust started to clear. Miho recognized who it was and started to scream as I saw blood pool on the ground.

"NO! NO! TRISTAN, NO! WAKE UP, PLEASE!" Wheeler seemed almost hysterical. I crawled over to him and saw what happened. Tristan Taylor had been hit with a ricocheting bullet right in the middle of his forehead. He probably died before he hit the ground.

Oh god. He was dead. Dead. I knew him, not well, but I knew him and now he was dead. These people who came in, guns ablaze…they'd done this. They would pay dearly.

I wrapped my arms around Wheeler's torso, pulling him away from Tristan's body, "Stop it. You can't help, he's gone."

"He's not gone! He can't be gone! Tristan, just wake up!" He clawed his way out of my grip and back to his best friend, crying. Mino was still screaming. Serenity was staring on in mute shock.

Where was Atem? I whirled around to see that she was kneeling next to a boy that I didn't know, ripping the hem of her dress to create a bandage, pressing it against the bleeding cut on his forehead. She wasn't using magic. I guessed that she was saving it for the battle ahead.

There was another gunshot, but this one was alone and directed towards the ceiling. It was a call for attention as much as it was a warning. The officer who fired it lowered his gun.

He looked like he was part of a SWAT team, but there was no marking on his bulletproof vest. Hanging around his neck was a chain that held a single green stone. What that the Orichalcos? He holstered his weapon and reached up to take off his helmet.

"No," I almost pleaded, though I didn't know who or what I was asking to change this reality. My father could not be standing in the middle of the room. There was just no way.

"Are you all listening?" His voice was monotone, like he and his team hadn't just attempted to kill everyone at his children's prom. "Good. I am looking for someone who has been harboring a very dangerous criminal. He is in this very room. I want you to know that once I call him name, he will have five seconds to show himself. If he doesn't, my team will start shooting again."

I heard someone whimper. Serenity started to pray next to me. Devlin held her protectively, acting as a shield incase the worst should happen.

I locked eyes with Atem. I wondered if it was going to be the last time. I never got to tell her how I felt. I never got to kiss her again. If I died today, I would die without her ever getting to know that I liked her.

I would die without ever knowing if she returned those feelings.

"We are looking for Ryou Bakura. He is charged with the crime of hiding the terrorist Yugi Mutuo after her escape from the White House on the first of March," my father continued as heads started to turn towards me. "Ryou Bakura, you have five seconds to turn yourself over or we will turn this place into a graveyard."

"Five," said one of the men beside him. My knees were surprisingly stable as I got to my feet and started to make my way out of the corner and towards what was formerly the dance floor.

Tea caught my hand as I moved passed her. She silently begged me not to go.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to her and removed my hand from her grip.

"Four," the man was counting down. I tried not to step on anyone as I moved forwards. I tried to look over to the DJ booth to see if Amane was alive. I couldn't see her, but the man was slumped over his turntable. I didn't know if he was dead or not.

"Three."

"I'm over here," I said as steadily as I could. The man stopped counting and let me walk over to them. I stood in front of my father, fists clenched. Behind me, people started whispering.

"Silence!" My father yelled. Any conversation that had started was immediately halted. He stepped forwards until he was an arms length away. He raised his hand in a familiar way. It had happened before.

The back of his hand slammed into the side of my head. I saw stars as I skidded across the floor, finally understanding what it meant to face a Convert. My father was now just as strong as any of the people I faced in Combat, maybe stronger. I pumped Medicine magic into the wounded area in order to keep me in top condition.

"How dare you?" He bellowed, "How dare you have the arrogance to hide her in my own house? You are a traitor and a fool! Did you think that I was too stupid to realize what you'd done?"

"Where'd you get the necklace, dad?" I asked, unable to look at him. I didn't know if I was ashamed of him or ashamed of his disappointment in me.

"Yugi Mutuo!" His face turned red with anger, "You stashed her away in your bedroom and fed her the food that I paid for with the money I earned from my job cleaning up this city!"

"You know what that thing does?" I tried to tell him, "Do you know what it's doing to you, dad? It's going to kill you in the worst way possible."

"Natsuki and I have given you a place to live all these years and this is how you repay us!" He screamed.

"It's going to kill you, dad! Please, just take it off!" I begged him, "It's a drug. It's a steroid, but it's giving you something that you were never meant to have. It'll tear at you until there's nothing left!"

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A DISAPPOINTMENT!"

"SHE'S FIGHTING SO THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LIVE, DAMN IT!" I screamed at him, desperate. I didn't want to see him die, "That stone gives you the strength you do now, dad, but you're always going to be like that. You won't be able to hold mom without breaking her spine. It that the kind of life you want? Please, dad. If you love her, please, just take it off."

I fell to my knees, tears running down my cheeks. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't want the people I knew to die. I never wanted Tristan to die. I never wanted any of them to die. But they were now; because of that god damn stone that was hanging around my father's neck.

I was going to destroy it no matter what it took.

"So you admit it. You know Yugi Mutuo," he took out his gun again.

I gritted my teeth together, "Her name is Atem."

As gasps went around the room, I looked up to see my father grinning, "And did you hide her in your room after the first of March when she attacked the White House and attempted to murder the President?"

"Atem didn't try to murder the President. She was trying to warn him to stay away from you Orichalcos using bastards!" I yelled at him, looking death in the face.

"Aiding and abetting a terrorist is a class B felony. You'll go away for a very long time if this ever gets to trial. However," my father hissed and I heard the click of his gun, "you are resisting arrest."

I heard someone shriek. I looked over to where the others were sitting. Duke was holding Serenity just as tightly as when I'd left their side. Joey was holding Tristan's lifeless hand. Miho was crying softly into her palms. And Tea was staring directly at me. I tried to give her a smile to tell her that it was going to be all right.

"You're going to kill me, dad? In front of all these people?" I shakily got to my feet, hiding my face in my hair so that he wouldn't be able to see that I was still crying a bit. "They know who you are. They'll tell people what actually happened."

"No they won't," said one of the masked men behind my father. He knelt down and unzipped the large duffle bag that they'd brought in with them. My stomach flipped as I saw the inside.

"You're insane!" I yelled, "You've got a bomb in there! You're gonna blow this place up!"

Someone started crying. I didn't know whom.

"No evidence, no witnesses. It's easier than having to bribe people," the man was grinning like a maniac behind his mask, I just knew it.

"You're going to blow up a place full of innocent civilians. How can you even be considering this? Amane is here. You'll kill your own daughter!" I made my decision right then. I wasn't going to kill dad, but I would cut down anyone who stood between me and disarming that bomb.

"Casualties happen. She will die knowing that I was protecting her from the monster I should have suffocated in delivery room," he spat. "I know what you are, Necromancer."

I actually took a step back at that comment. He knew. My father knew what I was. He knew about magic and he probably knew enough that he could bypass the Ward and yet he still hated me.

His gun was leveled with my eyes. I let out a shaking breath. If I moved, then the people behind me would get hit. What do I do? What do I do?

Something hit my father in the head. He cursed loudly. I realized that a microphone had hit him.

I turned, eyes bright. Amane was alive.

"You stay away from him," she brandished a small switchblade in her hands. I didn't know where she'd gotten it, but to be honest, I wasn't complaining.

"Amane, this is none of your business," my father snapped at her.

"It is my business. You come in here, you kill people that care about, you threaten blow us up! And then you wear that stone around your neck," she looked more livid than I'd ever seen her before. "Oh, yes. I know what the Orichalcos is. I've known what Ryou is for a long time. In fact, I found out the day I found out about Atem being in his room."

"You what?" He sputtered.

"Amane! You're alive!" I grinned.

"Yep. Are you alright?" She asked.

"Dad's holding a gun to my head. What do you think?" I answered in the dark sarcasm that came to those inches from death.

"Amane, stay out of this," dad yelled at her.

"I knew she was there. I helped hide Atem. If you're going to shoot Ryou, you might as well shoot me, too," she stood beside me, just like she'd promised. And not for a single second did she hesitate. I felt her grip on my hand.

"What has he done to you?" My father growled, "What spell has he cast on your mind to make you do this?"

"I've cast no spell. I didn't need to," I told him, returning Amane's grip as hard as I could. I felt a touch in my mind and Atem explained what she was planning. I glanced up quickly and saw her sitting on one of the arches on the ceiling, drawing her bow from the Realm. Something burned in my throat, hot like fire.

"Five seconds," Atem whispered. Akeifa muttered something in the back of my mind.

I traced a five into Amane's palm. Then a four.

"I didn't need to do anything to my sister because," three, and the burn got worse, "that's what we were made to do. Stand by each other," two, "Until death do we part."

One.

Atem loosed an arrow. It went right through the mask of the man who was standing next to be bomb. He dropped like a rock. As the other man looked up, Atem dropped from the ceiling and knocked one of the others out before engaging the final two in battle.

"Run! Go, I'll hold them back!" She yelled, wig non-existent as she screamed to the entire room of teenagers.

I took this as my moment to act. I opened my mouth.

Demonic red flames shot out from inside me as my magic reacted on instinct to defend me. The side of my father's face was caught in the blaze and he screamed, clawing at the fire, as he collapsed on the ground.

Just at that moment, there was a loud blasting sound and a section of the wall came down. I thought for a moment that something had gone wrong until I saw Seto and Mokuba Kaiba amongst the dust clouds. We were saved.

"Go!" I yelled, "Go with them! You'll be safe, just run!"

Suddenly, there was a mad rush towards the newly made exit. My father was getting up, flames doused. I pushed Amane behind me.

"Go back to the others," I told her as I drew my knife. "I'll be right behind you."

"Don't kill him. It would destroy mom," she said.

"I know. He's my dad, too," I gave her one more shove before she was off.

The man leapt at me the moment Amane was safe. He was just as fast and strong as any Other I'd faced. But he put too much force into his punches and kicks, knocking himself off balance sometimes. He wasn't used to fighting this way.

I flipped my knife so that the dull end of the hilt smashed into his skull, effectively knocking him out. Then, out of pure instinct (or maybe it was magic, I didn't know), I turned on my heel and threw my blade. It sunk into the skull of Atem's final attacker.

She turned as the man fell to the ground. I realized what just happened, what I'd just done. I waited for the curse to befall me, but there was nothing.

"We're not out of the woods just yet, Bakura," Atem sighed, giving me back my weapon. "It will come eventually."

"Mother, we've got the students. We're going to load them into the trucks. We need to take them to a safe house for memory alterations before what they learned here today becomes to engrained," Kaiba approached Atem. "Can you give us a read on the positions and numbers of their soldiers?"

Her eyes closed and I saw her shudder a little, "There's ten more Converts that have encircled the building. I can sense that the Gigas are spread amongst them."

"And where there are Gigas, there are Infecteds controlling them," Mokuba spoke those words like they'd been drilled into his skull. And judging by the way that Atem smiled proudly at him, they might have been.

"Seto!" I heard Kisara yell. I hadn't even noticed her arriving. She was examining the bomb; "They set it before they came in. I can't disarm it. We've got two minutes!"

"Shit! Out! OUT! EVERYONE OUT AND ON TO THE TRUCKS NOW!" Kaiba ordered and we rushed out of the building. The students of Domino High were herded onto the trucks outside. I caught sight of Amane dragging Joey onto one.

Atem grabbed my wrist before I could get in myself, "We're going to break through their ranks, so will you man this truck? There should be guns inside. And I think Chazz is the one driving."

"Of course I am," came an irritated voice from the front. "Now get in moron!"

I looked between the open hatch, filled with Joey and Serenity and Duke and everyone one of Amane's friends who had lived - but no Tristan, because he would never be on that truck, he never got the chance – and Atem. I looked at her and she looked at me and I wondered how many times we would do this until it really was the last chance we had.

I kissed her. Or she kissed me; I wasn't sure who made the first move. It was desperate and needy. My hands wove into her hair and she clung to my shirt and I never wanted this to stop. We needed this, the both of us. We needed to know that we cared about each other.

Then someone shouted, "One minute!"

I withdrew, gasping for air, a bit stunned and a bit dizzy. Atem's lips looked pink and her maroon eyes were bright. She nodded awkwardly, "Don't you dare die or I'll kill you."

"Are you joking? After that, you think I'm going to let myself die?" I grinned like an idiot, "See you later, Atem."

Not goodbye. Never goodbye.

She smiled, but then her face became very serious. She called out, "Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!"

A two headed monster with wings and a snake tail shifted out of the Shadows. I raised my hand to say hello as I swung into the truck. Tea screamed beside me.

"What is that thing?"

Atem settled herself in behind Chimera's wings, "Take care of yourself, Bakura."

And with that, the Shadow Creature galloped off into the distance.

"Everyone in? Good, I'm not waiting a second longer," said Chazz the driver as he shifted the truck into drive, stomping on the gas pedal, his eyes grim in the rear view mirror.

I wondered if that was the look of war.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**I'd like to thank all those who reviewed for the last chapter: zukofan2005, Malik'sStalker, ilovemanicures, Eb-Iv-Rachel-Liz-Ali-Tonia, and Akikee. Thank you all so much!**

**Tristan Taylor is dead. Not science-fiction dead (in which there is always a possibility of him being brought back to life), but dead-dead. He's not going to ever live again. I didn't like killing him, but then again, it was necessary.**

**Bakura's father, on the other hand, is _not_ dead - he's merely been knocked out. He manages to regain consciousness before the bomb goes off and escapes just in time.**

**If you have any questions, comments or concerns, I'm sure you all know how to reach me.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	32. I Know

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, TV Tokyo and 4Kids Entertainment. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents.

* * *

**Chapter 32: I Know**

_Friday, May 5__th__, 2017  
Time: 8:35pm_

The moment Chazz took off, Joey leapt out of his seat and held me by the throat, slamming me up against the wall.

"You did this!" He spat, "You got Tristan killed! This is all your fault!"

"Kid, sit down," the driver growled. "I'm trying to outrun an explosion. Hey, Other, what was your name again?"

"Bakura," I answered as Duke dragged Joey back into his seat.

"Don't really care. Make yourself useful and Morph the fire away," Chazz snarled, turning a corner sharply.

I went made my way to the entrance again. It was still wide open, the double doors slamming against the metal siding.

"What's going on, Bakura?" Duke's voice shook, "You owe us that much."

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," I told them. "But you've been dragged into a drug war that's been going on for twelve hundred years. We're the good guys, at least. Just hold onto your seats. This is going to get a little messy."

"You fuck this up, Other, and I'm going to kill you!" Chazz yelled from the front seat.

"Would this be a good time to mention that Morphing is not my best subject?" I shouted back at him as the truck swerved again.

"NO!"

I liked this guy.

"Ten seconds until detonation," came a voice over a speaker system. Serenity gripped Duke's arm.

I turned to the two people who were sitting the closest to the door. It was Amane and Tea; "I need you to brace me so I don't fall."

Two sets of hands immediately settled themselves on my shoulders.

"Five seconds."

I extended my hands. I heard Thief King muttering a set of hurried instructions on how to control the air. I just hoped that they were enough.

"Three. Two. One."

I saw the bomb go off in the distance. The flames consumed most of the night sky, looking almost like a giant fireball for a second. And then I saw the shock wave coming. It looked like a dust storm from a movie, just with bits of building and cars in it.

I hurriedly pushed my magic out, forcing the air around me to do what I wanted it to. It drove a column of non-burning space in between the clouds, forcing objects to the side. The temperature in the truck must have gone up a hundred degrees because I was suddenly sweating (though not from being tired). It gave Chazz enough time to turn a corner and use the building as a shield.

"Damn it!" I heard him curse and the truck began to slow down. I looked back.

"What's wrong?"

"The engine's overheated. We don't have time to idle," he swore again. "We'll have to go on foot."

He stood up and clambered over the seats. I finally got a good look at the guy. Chazz didn't seem young, but he wasn't middle aged either. His black hair was messy and he had a permanent scowl on his face.

"Listen up, brats, I haven't got time for complaints. Girls, if you're got heals on, chuck em'. We can't have you slowing us up because you can't run. Everyone's getting a crash course on how to operate a gun right now," Chazz zipped open a duffle bag and started to hand out AK-47s. Miho shrieked when one was forced into her grasp. "Remove the safety and point it at anything that looks like it's going to kill you. Pull the trigger."

"What the fuck is going on?" Joey yelled, pointing the gun at Chazz the moment it was in his hands. "Answer, or I swear to god I'll shoot you."

Surprisingly enough, it was Amane who answered, "Shut up, Joey! You're going to get us all killed if you keep that up."

"How come he's not getting one?" Tea pointed to me.

"You're Atem's new apprentice, though I've heard she's been teaching you a few things already," Chazz raised an eyebrow in my general direction. "You need a gun?"

"I prefer blades," I pulled Touzoku's katana out of the Realm. The _Dark Sanctuary_ was tucked into my belt, ready for action.

"The Other's going to be our heavy hitter, but you brats are going to be back up. Keep up or you're going to get yourself killed," Chazz spat and loaded ammunition into his gun. "Move out. Other, explain what's happening so that the blonde one doesn't threaten to kill us again."

We exited the truck, Chazz first and me second. The street was surprisingly empty for this time of night. But then, a bomb did just go off. Maybe people were hiding inside their homes and businesses.

Maybe they were dead.

"Bakura," Duke hissed, trying to convey that I should start talking. I looked back at him, at the others, wishing that it didn't have to come out like this.

"You all know how I go to a different school every two weeks," I said.

"A gifted school," Tea supplied, removing her four-inch heals from her feet.

"Its where your people go, isn't it?" Duke gasped as he helped Serenity get out.

"His people? You mean the thing he did? Devil worshipers?" Joey jumped to conclusions, as usual.

"Not the Devil!" Amane growled, hiking her long dress up and tying the skirts in a way that would leave her more able to run. "Not that bitch. If anything, Ryou's one of God's warriors."

I blinked, "Wow. That makes it kind of cool, when you call it that."

"Well its true. You and Atem are his two best knights," she said proudly.

"What the fuck is happening?" Joey yelled again.

"God, just shut up!" Chazz snapped at him, "Other, just tell him that you can use magic and quit it with all the religious bullshit!"

"…Magic. You're fucking kidding me!" The football player obviously didn't believe him, "Tell me right now or I'll – holy shit!"

I drew up what little Necromancy magic I needed to get my eyes glowing. I snarled at him, "Listen, I get it. You're torn up about Tristan. We all are. But if you keep yammering like this, you're gonna end up making us all join him."

His knees shook and he looked like he was going to cry at the mention of his best friend's name. I sighed, "Joey, I'll make you a deal. There's this thing I can do – you saw a bit of it in October in the graveyard. I can help you talk to Tristan again, but I can only do it when we're not on the run for our lives. Just come on, get up. We need your help right now."

"What can I do?" He shook, "You're the one with superpowers. I can't do anything."

"What happens if I go down, Joey? Who's going to protect you all then? You're the best candidate, to be honest. Well, aside from Chazz, but I don't really know him, so he doesn't count," I nodded to the guy.

"Other!" Chazz snapped.

"What?" I yelled back at him.

"Can you sense anything in the area? You know, anything that might pop up and kill us?" He shouted.

"Sense? I'm a first year, you realize. I didn't even know you could do that beyond the Sixth Sense," this was not looking good.

"Damn it! Why did they give me a useless one?" Chazz shouted to the sky, "Kaiba, do you hate me that much?"

"I'll have you know that I've surgically removed six bullets from someone before," I rounded on him.

"Great. So you can do something _after_ they've been shot. This is why you don't send Medics out into battle," he snorted. "Alright, I'll make due. You know this city pretty well. Do you know how to get to the Safeway on Sekhon Avenue? That's where the safe house is."

I didn't, but Amane did, "It's about a half hour drive from here."

"Lovely," Chazz grunted. "Keep your eyes peeled. Other, take to the roofs. I want you to spot any danger coming a mile away."

I nodded and pumped Combat magic into my body, jumping up and grabbing onto the top of a lamppost. From there, I swung myself up onto a nearby roof. I didn't need to look down to know that the Normals were gaping.

"I don't see anything up here. It looks pretty clear from here on out. Everything's just…dead. Really dead," I frowned. "Why is no one outside?"

And then there was the sky. It was barely noticeable, but every so often, something would flare in the darkness. There was a small rumble that sounded after each flash of light.

I heard Chazz call for them to start moving, so I moved along beside them, hand always on Touzoku's sword. There wasn't much anyone of us could do, except hope that we made it to the house in time.

After twenty minutes of running, Chazz called me down. I leapt from the roof straight to the ground, landing feet away from my sister. Tea jumped when I made landfall, dropping her gun. Thankfully, the safety was still on, so no one got shot.

"We're going to rest here for a bit," he pointed to a conviencance store. "Don't eat any candy 'cause you'll puke it up later. Other, I need to talk strategy with you."

The door was locked, but with a quick application of Chazz's expert lock picking skills (aka he smashed the window and unlocked the door) we were able to get inside. I followed him over to the cash register where he seemed to be heading.

"I'm not an Other," he admitted. I nodded, having already figured that out, "But that doesn't mean that if we run into anything, you get to do everything. I'm your commanding officer, so you do what I say."

"Yes sir," geez, did the guy want a salute as well?

"What's your specialty?"

"I can use Medicine magic as a weapon and cause people to get third degree burns that can only be healed through the natural method," I explained. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"I guess you're not so useless after all. Anything else?"

"I can Summon two creatures at a time, though I've got four at my disposal. I can talk to the dead, I'm pretty good at Combat, and I can't perform Enchantment to save my life," I gave him the general run down of my abilities.

"Sorry about that," Amane came up beside me and passed me a bottle of water. I unscrewed the cap and started to drink.

"Not your fault," I told her and handed back the bottle. "We didn't ask to be twins."

"No we didn't," she sighed. "Chazz, right? Do you mind if I borrow Ryou for a moment?"

He frowned, but relented. Amane took me over to where the Normals had congregated. I knew what she wanted.

"Hey," I waved slightly. This was probably going to be the most awkward talk of my entire time. No one looked at me. That stung.

"Guys, please," Amane begged them. Duke looked up first.

"Magic?" He whispered, "Of all things…I thought drugs."

"At least you had a theory," Tea mumbled into her knees. "God, I should have known. Those people…" Immediately, she clamped her hands over her mouth, staring at me with horror. Of all things, she was worried that I'd go back on our deal if she talked.

"It's alright," I told her, giving her permission. "You can tell."

"Those people…they said that they were looking for someone called The Immortal," she looked so scared. This was not how this night was supposed to go.

"They were looking for Atem," I explained. "You know her as Yugi Mutuo. Or Danni Green."

Serenity gasped, "You're…she's your girlfriend?"

"What? No! We're not – gah!" I shook my head to clear it of those thoughts, "We're complicated. Very complicated."

"Can you bring people back to life?" Joey asked suddenly. I blinked, surprised.

"No."

"But your father, he called you a Necromancer," he tried again. "Doesn't that mean that you can?"

I sighed, "With magic, there are two taboos: killing and attempting to bring someone back to life. There are very harsh punishments for both, but the second is so much more terrible."

"What happens?" Miho stammered in her accented English.

I didn't want to answer, but Amane did for me. I guessed that magic was really telling her a lot of things, because I sure as hell didn't explain most of what she said to her.

"Atem is over twelve hundred years old. She lost her ability to die when she tried to bring back her…" she looked like she'd swallowed a lemon, "...her lover."

She looked at me. I couldn't meet her eyes. She spoke directly to me, "He told me who you are, Ryou. I know that you lived back then, that you've been living for a very long time."

"They were reincarnations," I spat. "I didn't really live for – "

"There's more than one type of immortal, Ryou. Atem is one. You're another," Amane said. "You body may be seventeen years old, but your soul is just as old as her's."

I didn't know what to say to that. I just looked away.

"But it can happen. You can bring people back," Joey looked almost hopeful.

Amane shook her head, "Ryou's soul is already shattered enough as it is. If he were to attempt to resurrect someone, it would be break beyond repair. I'm sorry, Joey. He just can't."

"Then what good are you?" He growled at me.

"I'm what you've got," I said. "I'm going to get you all out of this, I promise. No matter what I have to do. I got you into this war, so it's my job to get you out."

Internally, I wondered if I would be able to uphold that promise without dying. I didn't know how to fight a Gigas and if we ran into an Infected, we were all dead. I just hoped that we only saw Converts from here on out.

* * *

_Time: 9:17pm_

"Other," Chazz called from the front of the store. I left Amane and went to go see him.

"What's up?"

"We've got company," he pointed to the end of the street, where two people were standing.

"Converts? Or worse?" I asked.

Chazz pulled out a pair of binoculars, "Converts, I think. Their eyes look Normal enough."

I nodded, "What do you need me to do, sir?"

"We need you to get a Summon – something small – in close to spy. I don't want to attack without knowing what we're getting into," he ordered.

I retreated into myself, going into the place with black and purple swirls, "Sangan."

Immediately, the orange puffball was at my side. I relayed Chazz's instructions to him and he took off without hesitation. How he got in close enough to see was beyond me, but he came back alive and well, so that was good.

"Definitely Converts," he explained what he'd seen. "Only those two. They haven't got any back up. They weren't expecting anyone to come this way anyways."

"So we've got the element of surprise," Chazz grinned darkly. "Oi! Brats! Get over here."

Slowly the Normals trickled over to where we were, guns held gingerly as if they were going to explode if gripped to tightly. Only Amane had her jaw set, though her hands were trembling. She kept looking around as if expecting to see someone, but there was no one there.

Chazz gave them a basic run down of the situation; "The thing is we can't leave this store without getting seen. That's where you come in, Other."

"I'm the distraction," I supplied.

"Make as much noise as physically possible. I'm going to make sure that these kids can get passed safely," he gave me an order. I placed a hand on the sword I was carrying.

"Consider it done."

"Good," Chazz looked over to talk to Amane. "The Other's told you a few things about what's going on. Do you know what a Convert is?"

"A Normal who's addicted to Orichalcos. They're running on Combat magic twenty four seven," she answered without hesitation.

"Then you know what happens if they hit you. For those of you who don't know," Chazz looked to the Normals, "Combat magic releases the brain's natural restraints on the muscles of the human body. You've already seen some of what people can do when that happens." He nodded in my direction, "However, Converts can't turn that off. Magic that isn't supposed to be running through their veins is and it's killing them."

"It's doing worse then that," I interrupted them. "It's destroying their souls."

"Thanks, I wasn't trying to freak your little buddies out that much. Good job, Other, for traumatizing them even more," he grumbled.

"They deserve to know what they're fighting against," I told him.

"Long story short: don't touch anything that looks like a green stone. It's infect you the moment you come in contact with it," he warned the Normals. "I've seen the craving effects myself. The Orichalcos puts heroin to shame on the addiction and unlike most drugs, the symptoms don't leave you after a week. They stay with you until you die."

Tea looked faint.

"Everyone ready? Cause we're not staying here much longer." Chazz grabbed hold of his gun, getting ready to leave. "Other, on three."

I nodded, drawing _Dark Sanctuary_.

"One. Two. Three."

The door went flying as I ripped it open. Blazing with Combat magic, I let loose a war cry and charged the two Converts, eyes glowing. They jumped for their guns and I heard the familiar pop of shots being fired.

But I was fast – too fast for them to get a lock on. I jumped up into the sky, roaring with my decent upon them. With the katana held high, I swiped downwards, the blade sparking as it connected with the asphalt of the road. The two Converts jumped back away from me.

I switched to Morphing, making the ground rise and knock them off their feet. Then I wove an Illusion, remaking the first thing I'd ever managed to do in that class into the magical equivalent of a flash-bang minus the bang.

I closed my eyes just in time to save my eyesight. Unfortunately for them, the Converts were not so lucky.

Then Sangan was back at my side, clawing at the faces of one of the two men. As he went down screaming, I concentrated on the second, giving Chazz and the Normals just enough room to slip by onto the next street.

The flash Illusion had temporarily blinded the Convert, so I used my sword to block his blind swing with the butt of his gun. I kicked him in the gut, sending him flying into a lamppost. His back bent in a way no human's was supposed to.

I had to pull Sangan off of the first man. Apparently, he didn't want to go quietly, so the Summon had to continue to dig his claws into his body. There wasn't much left of him. I wondered if he was still alive.

There was a small, gravely noise coming from the bloody mass of flesh. It sounded like a voice. I noticed that there was a radio attached to the former man's belt. I picked it up and listened.

"Jim! Jim, you there? Listen, you and Marcel need to get the hell out of there. That Gurimo guy's gone crazy! He's let a Gigas wander free and its right on top of you!"

Gigas…oh, shit! The charm on my wrist was practically shinning when I checked it. I heard gunshots and I called Sangan back to me. I ran as fast as I could towards it, terrified of what I might find.

I saw them in the middle of a parking lot. I could see the muzzle flash of a gun, pointed straight at…oh my god.

That was a Gigas?

It was a monster, easily twice the size of a professional American football player with arms that could effortlessly throw a four-by-four. Which was exactly what it was preparing to toss at Miho.

I blasted myself towards her, grabbing her and launching the pair of us out of the way just in time to escape death. I skidded to a halt with her in my arms.

"You alright?" I asked, breathless. She stared at me like she had never seen me before. Then she was clinging me and sobbing, clutching my now grimy shirt. I needed her to move, though, so I could help the others.

"Come on, Miho. Stand up, please," I begged. "Miho, tachiagaru. Stand up."

She nodded grimly, staggering to her feet. As soon as she let go of me, I took off towards the Gigas. Stabbing it in the arm with _Dark Sanctuary_ before it could grab Duke, it roared in pain and flailed. I had to hold on with all my strength, using my weight to tear into its skin more.

Then it stopped, realizing that I was still there. As it reached up towards me, it screamed as bullets lodged themselves into its chest. Tea and Amane stood side by side, a smoking gun in each hand. I dropped to the ground with the katana and back flipped out of the way of the Gigas' reflexive kick.

"Thanks for the save," I told them as they covered my escape.

"No problem," Amane ran beside me.

"Where's Chazz?" I asked. Tea answered with a nod to the side. I saw Joey and Serenity leaning over a dark shape on the ground. I panicked, thinking the worse.

"He's not dead," Duke confirmed. "Though he'll be if we don't get him out of here soon. He's lost a lot of blood."

I frowned, remembering the advice that Kisara had given me what seemed to be an eternity ago. I looked at the monster's head. There, in the middle of its forehead, was a green, glowing pentagram.

"I think I know how to beat this thing," I told them. "I need to get in close and attack that thing on its head."

"Go. We've got your back," Tea's voice was something I'd never heard in her before. She was serious, determined. Amane smirked a bit, her formerly white dress stained with red. Duke gripped my shoulder.

If I was going to die here, at least I was going to die with people like this.

I tightened my grip on _Dark Sanctuary_, dashing forwards. The Gigas uprooted a small tree and chucked it at me. The branches grazed me as I rolled out of its way, strapping my face and letting blood run down my skin. It reached for me again, but was held at bay by Sangan leaping out of the Shadows to scratch and bite at its flesh.

Bullets riddled its torso as Amane and the two Normals advanced with me. I rolled around the Gigas, slashing at the back of its heels with the katana. But its body seemed to repair itself almost instantaneously. It turned around, spotting me, but then screamed as its eyes were destroyed in splashes of blood. Miho stood not far away, looking terrified out of her mind, tears running down her face.

I couldn't get anywhere close to the things head. Together, we were just barely holding the thing off. I had to finish this quick; Chazz's life was dependent on it.

I slammed my hands to the ground, performing the largest bit of Morphing that I'd ever done. I made the concrete become spikes, pinning the Gigas' feet to the ground. It looked down, growling and letting its guard around its face down. I threw my knife, praying that it would hit the mark.

It did.

The Gigas seemed to freeze, its ugly face stuck mid snarl. It leaned forwards and toppled to the ground, lying very still.

"Is it dead?" Duke asked quietly.

I swallowed, cautiously moving forward to get my knife back. It didn't twitch as I pulled it out of its skull. The Gigas wasn't breathing.

"Yeah. It's dead," my voice cracked.

"Oh, thank God!" Tea sunk to the ground, her knees finally giving out, "Thank you. Thank you, God."

A wet sounding cough came from the side. Joey called for help and I rushed over to where he and his sister were trying to stop the bleeding in Chazz's injury. He'd been impaled by something large and spikey. I wasn't sure what, but he was so pale, so close to death.

"…'Lexis," he mumbled under his breath.

"Don't speak, man," Joey pressed his suit jacket tighter against the wound. "Save your energy."

"Can you do anything?" Serenity was crying, bloody hands shaking as she tried to support Chazz's head.

"Touzoku? You've got have something," I spoke to the spirit in my head. The samurai said that Chazz needed a blood transfusion. Now.

I didn't have any blood to give him, but the people at the safe house probably did. I just needed to get him there. My hand flew to my pockets, grabbing my cell phone.

"I don't think this is the time to answer a fucking text," Joey swore.

"It's not that. My phone's got this app – hah! It still works!" I activated the PORT and typed in Sekhon Avenue on the search. The option of the Safeway came up and I told it to activate, shoving the device into Chazz's hand. He disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.

"W-what was that?" Serenity gasped.

"The PORT. Its how I've been getting to Atlantis all year. I haven't learned to teleport yet, so that does it for me," I explained. "There's only one problem: it only takes one person at a time."

"So we've still got to get there on foot," Duke groaned.

"At least we're still alive," Amane tried to be the optimist. I forced out a laugh, slowly getting to my feet.

"Is anyone else hurt?" I looked over each of them, noting the bruises and the scratches. Serenity winced.

"I sprained my ankle." In an instant, I was at her side, hands glowing red with my power. Her insides repaired themselves with my magic.

"Better?" I asked. She rolled the foot, nodding. I stood, offering her my hand. She took it and hauled herself up.

"Thanks," Serenity smiled a bit. I sheathed my sword.

"We need to get out of here. I know we're all tired, so we'll head in there," I pointed to an empty cinema (again, it was almost 10. Why was everything _closed_?). "We can rest for a few minutes and then we'll figure out what to do."

Suddenly, I was the leader here. These people trusted me not to fuck this up. I just hoped that I could live up to their expectations.

The group was almost all inside the door when I heard it. It was an animalistic groan that made my blood run cold. I saw the reflection of the Gigas in the glass move and knew that it had somehow survived.

I did it without really thinking about it. I let the door shut without going inside. I pressed a hand to the glass and sealed it so that Amane and the others couldn't get out. My sister saw what I did and yelled so loud that I could hear her clearly on the other side of the glass.

"No! No! What are you doing?" She pounded her fists on the glass. This was it. I knew that I wouldn't survive this. I was running low on magic and without the Normals, I wouldn't be able to win. There was no way.

"I promised," I said, but the words caught in my throat. Somehow, they were all able to hear me. Expressions of horror fell onto their faces. I tried again, "I promised that I'd get you all out of this. The Gigas is still alive. I'm not going to let you fight it again."

"No! Let me go, Duke! Stop it!" Amane thrashed in Duke's arms. He was trying to hold her back from smashing through the glass.

"I'm so sorry," I choked.

"You don't have to do this," my sister pleaded. "Please, just come inside. You can hide with us."

I shook my head, "I'm not going to risk it finding you."

She broke free of Duke's grasp, hands thumping against the glass. But Amane was tired and weak from fighting. She slid to the ground, crying.

"You fight that thing alone and you're gonna die," Joey looked so confused.

"I know."

"But why? After everything that we're ever done, why?" His head shook, unbelieving.

"Because I promised."

"That's not a good enough reason to kill yourself!" He yelled, "You can't – you just can't."

"Please, just come inside," Amane's voice was hoarse. "I love you."

And in that moment I knew what she meant, what she'd always meant when she said those words. Amane wasn't saying those as a sister to a brother. She was saying them as a woman to man. She loved me.

"I know," I bent down to her height, placing my hand on the glass. Behind me, the Gigas' body began to shudder.

"No you don't. You don't realize: I love –"

"Amane. I know," I repeated. "I'm sorry. I can't, not the way you do. But I do love you. You're my sister, I have and will always love you."

She looked up, her black eyes staring straight into my demonic red. She placed her hand on the other side of the glass from mine. Our final goodbye.

I saw the Gigas begin to stand. I got up, squared my shoulders and gave my last order to Duke Devlin.

"There should be a back entrance. Get everyone out through that and make a run for Sekhon Avenue. I'm going to buy you as much time as I can. When you get there, can you tell Atem that I…that she didn't do this. This is not her fault," my throat threatened to constrict at the idea of how my death would make her react. "And one more thing, Duke."

"Anything," he promised.

I smirked, "Try not to make me look like too much of an asshole in my eulogy."

And with that I turned away, unsheathing _Dark Sanctuary_ once more and charged towards the Gigas. I didn't look back on them, scared that if I did, I would beg to be let back in and try to save myself from this.

But it was the only way I knew that they'd be safe. And that was enough for me.

* * *

To say that I failed spectacularly in my second round against the Gigas is the understatement of the century. Not to say that it was over in ten seconds – I was able to hold the thing off for a good fifteen minutes afterwards. I was just going about my assault the wrong way.

A Gigas is what happens to a human once they've used the Orichalcos for too long. Their soul is removed from their body in a way that has nothing to do with death, but they still have the stone on them. So what happens to the stone?

It gets absorbed into their body, which is the only thing that keeps them walking around.

However, the pentagram on their foreheads is where the stone forms again, just under the skin. You literally have to remove it to get a Gigas to stop moving.

The Orichalcos, for all its evils, is incredible at healing. That's what makes the Gigas so formidable. During my first fight with one, I noticed how all the injures we were giving it were just healing seconds after. Instant regeneration, you might call it. But the worst part is that the Gigas gets stronger the more times that it 'dies.' I've heard of them getting so strong that their skin becomes cut-proof and their bones become as hard as diamonds.

I just didn't know that I was supposed to remove the Orichalcos. And Touzoku was unable to help me because he'd never faced a Gigas before. _He_ only stared to use them around Game Master's time. All I could do was hope that I could hold it off long enough so that my friends could escape.

I lived to tell the tale, but only because that Infected, Gurimo, liked to play with his food before he ate it. He wanted me to suffer in my final moments.

Too bad he didn't expect me to be as desperate as I was. Because I knew his one fear: a tale that had been passed down from Infected to Infected about a single man who was raised to be a killer of Orichalcos soldiers.

Dark God Bakura.

* * *

_Time: 10:30pm_

I drifted in and out of consciousness, feeling the sensation of being dragged roughly over concrete. My hands and knees bumped against the indents of the road and something held me by the back of my jacket.

"Through here," I heard a voice, low and male, and the thing carrying me turned in a different direction.

Something exploded and dust filled my lungs. I tried to cough, but it hurt to breathe. I managed to hack up some blood.

"Hello there," I heard the man smirk. There was the sound of a gun firing and then several someone's gasped. I could see a single bullet fall to the ground.

"Now that was just rude," the man sounded sickeningly polite. "Know your place, worm."

Someone hit the wall and I heard the crunch of bones. Someone yelled Duke's name.

Oh god, no. They'd been found. Why didn't they run? Why was everyone here?

"I can't even see why you insects are so important to this whelp. Well, if the traitor wants to run around with ants, then so be it."

The thing – the Gigas, I assumed – that was carrying me threw me. I sailed through the air, limbs flailing hopelessly, and then I hit the ground with a thud. What little air my lungs contained was forced from them.

"RYOU!" I heard Amane scream and I cracked open my eyes to see that she was by my side, throwing herself between me and that man, "Don't touch him!"

I tried to get her off, but my arms weren't working. Nothing was working. It was like every nerve in my body had short-circuited and was in the process of rebooting. I felt so useless.

"Oh my god!" And then there was a gentle hand at my neck, checking my pulse. Tea exclaimed, "He's still alive."

"Of course the traitor is still alive," the man sneered. "You useless pieces of existence mean something to him. I want him alive so he can see what I do to you."

Something blurred passed me. I heard Serenity cry, "Joey, no!"

Then there was the sound of someone choking, my eyes finally opened and I could see that the man was holding Joey up by the throat.

"It looks like we have our first volunteer," the man wasn't young. He had grey flecks inhabiting his goatee and he was balding, "Let's see what old Gurimo can do to you."

Serenity tried to help her brother, but was forced back. I tried to move my limbs again. They twitched and shifted slightly. It was a good start, but not good enough.

Joey started screaming and I thought-smelled ozone. Gurimo was forcefully entering his mind, making it as painful as possible. The bastard was torturing him! I had to stop this.

Gurimo laughed, looking at me, "You know this idiot that you tried to save doesn't even know your name? He keeps trying to remember, but he can't! What kind of friends do you keep, traitor? Not good ones!"

"Fuck you," I managed to get out, arms finally able to support my weight as I tried to get up.

"He's trying to save you," Gurimo mocked Joey with his laugher and non-caring smile. "Trying to save a faggot like you, you little liar. You hypocrite."

Joey looked utterly terrified and the ozone smell increased to the point where it burned inside my mind. Amane was clutching her head, her Sixth Sense overwhelming her. But she didn't move from her position between Gurimo and me.

Then the man indicated to the Gigas beside him. It reached forwards and grabbed Serenity from where she'd fallen.

"Oh god, Serenity!" Duke called after her, "No, take me! Take me instead! Kill me instead!"

"All in due time, worm," Gurimo dismisses his pleas with the wave of his hand. Duke reached for the gun that way lying by him, but the man had the Gigas hold Serenity in front of him like a goddamn human shield. "Going to shoot your girlfriend? Could you live with yourself if you missed me and hit her? You love her so much it makes me sick."

The Gigas' hand clenched and Serenity's cries were added to her brother's. This was so wrong. This never should have happened. How had this have gone so wrong? I had to do something!

Finally, I managed to get my legs under me. I was barely standing, knees threatening to give out at any second. Everything hurt. I couldn't breath properly. I might have had a few broken ribs, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was getting these people to safety.

"Leave them alone," I wheezed. "I'm the traitor, not them. Who wants to play with worms when you've got me."

Gurimo looked at me, tilting his head like a curious child. A sick grin made its way onto his face, "Finally. You got up. I was wondering when that was going to happen, what with your head being so noisy."

He and the Gigas threw their captors to the side. As Duke made a rush for them, I pulled my knife from my arm holster and pointed it in front of me. I tried to move around Amane, but she wouldn't let me. My vision spun for a moment before righting itself.

"What's your name, traitor?" Gurimo asked.

I tried to be as strong as I could when I told him, "I am Bakura."

Gurimo's grin dropped and he actually took a step back, "What did you say?"

"I said," I paused to cough up some phlegm from my lungs, "I said I am Bakura."

"That's impossible. There's no – there's no way that you're…" the man stammered. "The last Bakura died over two hundred years ago. There's no way that you could be him. Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying. That's my name," I growled, feeling somewhat encouraged now that I had him on the run.

"Shut up! You can't be him! There were only six souls! They've all been used up!" He pointed at me with a shaking finger, "You're not…you can't be…oh god! White hair and red eyes! But that's impossible. You're impossible."

So he was scared of what my past incarnations did. I could use that to my advantage, "So which one scares you the most? Is it Touzoku?"

"You can't know their names!" Gurimo looked like he was going to wet himself. I took a step forwards. He took two back, "No one knows their names! They were wiped from history!"

"Not Touzoku then. I guess not, because he's a Healer first and a fighter second. How about Akeifa?" Gurimo paled a bit but not enough. I'd missed using words as weapons. They scared and terrified people so much more than with actual physical power.

Amane was behind me now. Everyone was behind me. Gurimo and his Gigas had to get through me before he would get to them. I tasted blood in my mouth. I spat it out and continued.

"Soul Steeler? Or Thief King? Or Game Master? Which one was it?" I growled, before realizing just who frightened him the most. Of course. It would be him.

"It was Dark God, wasn't it? I don't blame you, he scares the hell out of me," I smirked. "Do you want to meet him?"

"Dark God is dead!" He yelled back at me, "He died three hundred years ago. He blew himself up. There is no way that he could be alive!"

"He's alive. And he's here, with us. He can see you trembling right now at the very whisper of his name," I felt Dark God enter my Soul Room. In the depths of my Soul, I held out my hand to him, feeling as if I just made a deal with the Devil.

"He's died!" Gurimo waved the Gigas towards me (us). He was a dead man now.

The Gigas never touched me (us). I (we) Summoned my (our) most trusted creature to aid me (us) in battle. Diabound, the invisible demon god, blocked its attack with its massive arms, and tore the Gigas hand from its body. I (we) smirked as it howled in pain.

Good. Very good. I (we) reached forwards and touched Diabound's snake tail, thanking him for his continued service. The creature shifted out of its invisibility, coiling around me (us) and…these people behind me (us).

There were people behind me (us). Why? They didn't matter. Why were they here? I (we) didn't need to worry about them. I (we) never cared before –

_It was only her. Only she mattered. The smell of her hair, the light in her eyes. The touch of her skin. The blood that flowed in her veins. Only My (our) Queen, only her. The rest were all nothing. Nothing but meat, obstacles in my (our) way of her –_

But these people – people, not meat, who the hell were they to me (us) - were also important. For some reason they were. I (we) couldn't explain it. I (we) didn't know what it meant – to care for someone else other than My (our) Queen. And now there were several someones. Many someones. I (we) gripped my (our) head, trying to steady myself (ourselves) but then realized that the voices were gone.

Gone. Gone. The whisperings and mutterings of Magic – God – were gone. I (we) needed them _back_!

The Infected was looking in horror at Diabound. Had he made the voices leave? He did this. He made the voices disappear – hurt Serenity and Joey and Duke and Tea and Amane. He would die for this!

I (we) commanded Diabound to attack and I (we) flew towards the Infected, ignoring the pain in my (our) limbs – I'd (we'd) been trained to withstand worse than mere broken bones – axe (Mr. Pointy) in hand. I (we) chopped down on the Infect with its blade, smiling madly and laughing at his pain as it cut deep into his skin.

Diabound took hold of the Gigas and tore it apart, its blood rained from the sky. What a beautiful sight, that red rain was. I (we) wanted…I (we) wanted more of that.

Or did I (we)? Why was I (we) questioning this? I'd (we'd) never questioned it before; it was just the way the world was. I (we) roared at the Infected, hand shooting out and grabbing his face. He screamed as his skin burned, but I (we) didn't know that spell but at the same time I (we) did and it was so confusing but it was so _good_ to see this bastard scream!

Or was it?

"Stop the questions!" I (we) yelled, confused and scared, but I (we) couldn't be scared because she taught us never to be scared but then she told us to run if I (we) saw an Infected but then she also said that she needed my (our) help. I (we) didn't know any more. There were too many memories, too many lives running through my (our) head and it _hurt_.

And this Infected – this sack of meat – was the reason why.

I (we) was on top of him, sitting on his hips and swinging the axe into his flesh again and again and again. He wouldn't stop moving, every time the blade hit his chest or his face, he kept moving and I (we) didn't want him to move anymore I (we) just wanted him to stop and he wouldn't. Why? Why-why-why wouldn't he? Stop moving! Stop!

A hand grabbed my (our) wrists. I (we) looked up and it was the girl. The girl with the black hair and the white dress. She was…familiar? Too familiar. That girl with the black hair and the white dress, I'd (we'd) seen her before.

"Ryou. Stop. Please," she begged. "He's gone. He's dead and gone. You've stopped him. Now please, stop."

"He's dead?" I (we) asked, "Really?"

"Yes, so please, stop. The Gigas is gone, too. Its stone is gone," the girl was crying.

"Who am I?" I (we) trembled. There were so many memories and I (we) didn't know which were which or what was wrong and right and what was going on, please make it go away.

"You're Ryou. You're my Ryou," the girl – Amane? – said through her tears, holding me (us) tight. "Just let go, Ryou. Just let go, this is killing you."

Let go? It seemed so easy to just follow her words. So I (we) did. Dark God let go of my hand, curling up into a ball of shivers and shakes in my Soul Room and I realized what I'd just done.

I chopped a man to death with an axe. My hands were so red with his blood that I couldn't tell if the lines were still on them.

And then it happened.

I was the first man, fresh and green, power running through my veins for the first time. I felt invincible, fighting against this terrorist scum and her boy-toy. And then something flashed out of the corner of my eye. I felt a sharp pain in my forehead and then everything went black.

Then I was trying to defend myself from an orange monster. It was clawing and biting at my arms and eyes and face. Its fangs sunk into my neck and chest, blood was everywhere and I was so tired, so weak. Then everything went black.

I couldn't see. I swung my gun wildly and it was blocked by the person – monster, thing? – that burst out of the store down the road. I felt a foot plant itself in my gut and I was sent flying. My back hit something and I felt fragments of bone cut through my heart. Then everything went black.

He was a monster. The white haired boy was an impossible monster with glowing red eyes and lines on his face. They hummed slowly with a dull light as his face transformed in a grin with too many sharp teeth. He wasn't human, something beyond even an Other – a demon in human skin. And I knew, when he pinned me down and held his axe high why he had been called Dark God.

Only a god of darkness could look like that when about to commit murder.

And then everything went black one last time.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**I'd like to thank those who reviewed for the last chapter: Akikee, zukofan2005, Eb-Iv-Rachel-Liz-Ali-Tonia, and ilovemanicures.**

**Welcome to 2012 people! The year were are supposedly going to all be wiped out! Supposedly, of course. Personally, I think we've been raptured so many times that if it actually comes, we might not be able to tell the difference. I just thought I'd mention December 21st, 2012 because of its connection to the Mayans. I've made a reference to it somewhere in The First Year. See if you can find it.**

**A lot happened in this chapter, so if you've got questions, you can ask away. I'll answer them to the best of my ability.**

**Before I forget, I'd like to talk about what has changed story-wise while I've been editing the chapters previous. First thing's first: Bakura's laptop is slowly being upgraded to the KC Universe tablet. That's right. Bakura's got the KaibaCorp version of an iPad. I am so jealous of him.**

**Second: in his dreams, magic is now being referred to as god power. The being Magic is called the gods (not a single god, but all of them in reference to his plural voice). And Overpowers are now called Gifts.**

**There have been a few more minor changes but generally the plot has stayed the same. Things like giving Serenity and Miho an introduction in the first chapter aren't really that big when it comes to the general plot.**

**Until then,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


	33. The Thousand Spell Book

**The Others: The First Year**

**Disclaimer:** Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters is owned by Kazuki Takahashi, Studio Gallop, Nihon Ad Systems, and TV Tokyo. All names were changed to the characters of this fandom in order to protect the real people involved in the following incidents

_To my boys  
Ethan and Eric  
I know I've already given you two a chapter  
And I know you'll probably never read this  
But I want you to know that you are the most  
Amazing  
Wonderful  
Most awesome people that I've ever known  
And I honestly wish that you heard that more often  
Because you are  
May we continue to kick ass  
Throw nine-inch nails  
And make internet references  
Until the end of time  
I love you both  
- Lor_

* * *

**Chapter 33: The Thousand Spell Book**

"_I don't believe it," I shook my head, taking a step back. "Ix Chel, you're the one who told me about the Purges! How could you have caused them?"_

"_I just told you, you idiot: my name is Edina," she sneered. "After the former king burned by home to the ground and murdered my parents in the name of sacrifice, did you think I'd just sit around? No. I wanted revenge. My parents never did anything wrong, but they were killed next to thieves and convicts like you."_

_I felt a wave of anger well in my chest. It was a well-known fact that I'd been a thief before Atem bought me, but it was a low blow. I stole so that I could feed and clothe myself at the end of the day and so did the other thieves that I had met. We weren't bad people, but stuck in bad circumstances._

"_Still," Ix Chel – no, it was Edina now. Edina the Shape Changer who started the war against those with Gifts, "You are interesting, for a thief. Makes me wonder why the little princess would ever even consider you. Of course, the fact that you're so hopelessly in love with her is just as humourous."_

_In…in love? With Atem? Me? I'd never thought of it like that. I mean, yes, I'd considered marrying her when I had time to daydream, but love?_

_It made a lot of sense._

_But no, I was getting distracted. Edina was the problem, "And you've been hiding here for years, changing your form to hide."_

"_Of course I have, you idiot. No one ever suspects the slaves, because everyone knows that they're _stupid_. I can walk among them and never get stopped," she laughed. "You know that the girl I've recently impersonated was actually in love with you. Used to watch you all the time when you came in to the Healer's ward. That was, until I snapped her neck. And you never knew…"_

"_Shut up!" I pulled out my knife, holding it out in front of me. Edina didn't move into a defensive position, but she wanted to. I could tell by the straining in her muscles and the way her cold blue eyes darted towards the blade every so often._

"_But you'd know what? I've seen you sneaking about with your little princess, practicing your god powers when you think no one will see you," she laughed. "I even saw you the night after her engagement was announced. Did you like touching her? What kind of slave are you to her really? Do you lay down on her bed and let her fuck herself on you whenever she asks?"_

_Edina spat her last words at me, the venom in her voice actually surprising me. There had been rumours that Atem had shacked up with several of the officers in the army, but not me. Never me._

_Not that I'd be complaining if she did want to. But it would never happen. Could it?_

"_You know, the only reason she's even considering going through with her engagement to Dartz is because of you," Edina sneered. "She's planning to free you through it. That stupid whore would do anything for you, you god damn traitor!"_

_That did it. Edina's insult towards Atem made me leap forwards against my better judgment, determined to shut her up for good. Her dodge was clumsy and erratic, making me realize that she was a spy, not a fighter. I had the advantage in battle. I could win._

_And then she Changed. Icy blue fire erupted around her once more and I had to look away. My heart stopped when I saw whom Edina had turned into._

"…_That's just not fair," I breathed as Atem – but not Atem at the same time – stood before me in the clothing Edina was just wearing. A terrible smirk made its way onto her face and that was just wrong. Atem would never look like that._

"_I don't do fair," gods, she could even change her voice too. It sounded exactly like Atem's. My hands shook so badly, I was afraid I'd be unable to properly hold my knife. I wasn't going to be able to fight her, not when Edina looked like this._

_I knew now why she'd chosen to take on the form of the former king's wife when she assassinated him. It was a frighteningly effective tactic._

"_How about we make a deal?" She stalked forwards, hips swaying seductively. I backed away quickly, "You'll never get what you want with Atem, but with me its possible. I can be your princess for you, if you do something for me."_

_My back hit the wall and the false-Atem was suddenly within arms reach. Her hand reached up and in a gesture of mock affection, touched my face. My breath caught in my lungs and my heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it echoing in the room._

"_You have to let me go, Bakura," my name on those lips broke what little self-control I had left. I grabbed Atem by the shoulders and swung her around into the wall, mashing my mouth against hers, and let loose what felt like years of built up passion._

_Her legs were around my waist, my heads were in her hair, her hands were _absolutely everywhere_ and it was pretty much the best moment of my life. I moaned into her mouth when her hips shifted just enough that it sent shockwaves of pleasure through my body. She called out my name and I answered back, just as breathlessly. Atem stole my breath from me._

"_I love you," I moved to her neck, leaving my mark there before moving onto exploring the folds of her clothing in an attempt to get it off of her. She gasped at my boldness, blue eyes shining and – wait._

_Blue eyes. Atem's eyes were maroon._

_And suddenly reality came crashing down around my ears._

_She gasped again, but this time it was for a different reason. It was pain and shock. Atem-Edina looked down to her chest where I'd stabbed her. Her eyes found mine and then, surprisingly enough, she smiled._

"_Thank you," she said through the blood that was filling her lungs._

"_Why?" I wanted to know._

"_You said you loved me," and with that, the blue eyes of the Shape Changer that started the Purges closed her eyes one last time. They never opened again._

_And then it happened._

"_I love you," Bakura murmured against my skin. It was a familiar feeling, his voice humming in his chest as it reverberated through my body. But his words were different. I'd never heard them before, especially not from him. And never before had they had that much feeling behind them._

_I gasped as I felt his hands tugging at my clothes. If I'd known that this form would be enough to drive him wild, I would have done this sooner. I'd been waiting here, in this god-forsaken palace for so long, waiting for the order to strike. I still had things to do, but Bakura was a good distraction –_

_Pain erupted in my chest. I couldn't believe it. He'd stabbed me. He'd _stabbed _me while I was in this form. I almost laughed at the irony. I was the only replacement that he'd ever get for his precious princess, but even then, a replacement just wasn't good enough._

_But still…_

"_Thank you," I whispered._

_He looked confused, "Why?"_

_Thank you, Bakura, for ending this for me. Thank you, Bakura, for taking my life. Thank you, Bakura, for giving me the only way to go back to the only form I'd forgotten how to take: my own._

"_You said you loved me," I lied. In the end, I was just glad that I wouldn't be apart of the final sacrifices, that I would die here instead of at the alter with Dartz tearing my heart from me._

_And then everything went black._

_I sank to the ground, knees giving out beneath me. I looked up at the body I was holding against me and for one gods-awful second, I thought I'd killed Atem._

_Then once again, her body began to burn with blue fire. I threw myself back from her and her body changed one final time. A small girl with long black hair was slumped up against the wall. She looked not a day over eleven years of age. I realized that this was the age Edina had probably first used her powers to change her appearance. She'd forgotten not soon after how to change back._

_Atem – the real Atem and not another look alike – burst into the room, "Bakura!"_

_I'd never thought that I'd be so glad to see her before. Her gaze fell upon the child form of Edina, which was already dissolving into the Realm, "Who's that?"_

"_She's the Shape Changer," I explained, getting to my feet. "She was Ix Chel and the doorman at the meetings. She killed your grandfather."_

"_And she's…a little girl?"_

"_Her name was Edina," I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Atem was here, her eyes the familiar shade of maroon, and gloriously alive. And I knew in an instant that I did love her._

_Afterwards, when she explained the attack to her father, she credited the death of Edina to the mysterious Necromancer who helped the army in their fight. I didn't know what pissed King Acalan off the most: the fact that a Necromancer helped his side or the fact that his army had willingly followed their princess even though she was no longer one of them. His face turned an interesting shade of puce as Atem stood there, straight faced and determined, waiting for his final judgment._

_Dartz leaned against the wall behind the King, his gold eyes glaring at me. He knew that I was the Necromancer that she was describing. I smirked a little at him, as if saying, "Bring it on."_

_He was up to something. I just knew it._

_Later that night, though, Edina's words came back to me. Atem was only marrying Dartz so that I would be freed. But then…_

"_Atem, I need to tell you something," I said as I lay on the floor. She grunted and rolled over in her bed to face me._

"_What?"_

"_If…um, well," I struggled with my words, trying to tell her what I wanted without actually saying it. I forced myself not to stammer, "If being free means leaving you, then I want to stay your slave forever."_

_She sat up so fast that it was like she'd been shocked, "What?"_

"_You heard me," I said._

"_But I thought…you hate it here, so why would you want to stay?"_

_Because she was the only woman I'd ever considered dropping everything to be with. Because she was beautiful and amazing and kind. Because I was in love with her._

_Instead I said, "There are a few perks that I can find. I want to stay for them."_

_But the look in my eye said that there was only one perk – her. And Atem saw that._

"_It could never happen," she told me in a hurried whisper, as if she was afraid her father would hear. "Not between us. Not the way you're thinking."_

"_Why not?" I asked her._

"_Because I'm a princess. Because of this damned royal blood in my veins. That's why," she hissed. I noticed that she didn't blame me for being of common decent. I wondered if she envied that in me._

"_Just think about it, alright," I told her, figuring that this would be the last time tonight that we'd talk about it._

"_I do," Atem admitted. "I've thought about it every day since I first saw you."_

_I raised an eyebrow in surprise, "That was almost ten years ago."_

_But if that was true, then…damn, I'd been missing out on whatever signs she's been giving me._

"_But even if we both want to, it would never work. If anyone found out then we'd probably both be killed," she tried to reason with me. "As much as we want to ignore class differences, they would still affect us. And my father still wants me to marry Dartz."_

"_We could run away. Leave this place together and never come back," I suggested._

"_Do you think my father wouldn't send people after us? We can't outrun an army, Bakura," Atem sighed, looking wistfully at me. "Don't get me wrong, I'd love to just leave and run with you. But would it be realistic? Could we pull it off? No."_

_I felt deflated, "So you're just going to give up on this before you even give it a chance?"_

"_Yes," Atem closed her eyes in shame. I would rather have my hand cut off that have to hear that word again._

"_Did we even have a chance? Ever?" I asked her, unable to look at her._

_I heard her get up and walk over to where I was sitting. I glanced up just as Atem knelt before me._

"_Yes," her voice hitched. She leaned forwards and pressed her lips to mine in a sweet, simple kiss. She tried to pull back, but I caught her face and brought her back to me. I wasn't going to leave this as a ghost of a kiss. I deepened it, parting my mouth as my hands cupped her face._

_Then Atem made the most amazing sound I'd ever heard. It was half-moan, half-whimper and I felt it in my very bones, making my toes curl in anticipation. I was helpless and lost in her. I loved her. I loved her so much._

_I pulled back, lungs starved for air. She gasped beside me and it took all of my will power not to go back to her just then. Atem was shocked and amazed and something else. Something _more_._

"_Just think about it," I told her. "Because we can do it. We can pull it off."_

_She nodded, still speechless. Then she threw herself at me, clinging to my neck with all of her strength. I held her, too, shaking with the shock of everything. I'd kissed her. Atem kissed me back. We weren't going to be together but at the same time, I was glad because I knew that she returned my feelings for her._

_She curled up next to me that night, clutching at my body like she was scared that I would disappear. I might have imagined it, but I thought that Atem might have whispered, "You're the only one I've ever loved."_

_She was the only one I'd ever loved as well._

* * *

_Saturday, May 6__th__, 2017_

"We've got a problem, landlord," Akeifa's voice made me open my eyes in my soul. He was standing over me, with an incredibly nervous looking Thief King at his side. I blinked until my vision cleared, sitting up from where I was laying.

"Why am I on the floor?" I grumbled.

"Don't know. But, landlord, something's wrong with Dark God. He won't let the rest of us in. He knocked Soul Steeler out when he tried. Dark God only wants to speak with you," Akeifa glanced towards the second archway that had formed in my room. It was directly beside Touzoku's, complete with the connecting red line.

Neither of the two spirits touched me as I slowly got to my feet, knowing what would happen if we did that here. I passed through the arch and into Dark God's Soul Room.

It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The first thing that I noticed was the back wall: it was missing. In its place was a gaping hole and beyond it, a world of black and purple swirls. It was the Shadow Realm; Dark God's soul had a hole in it and it led directly to the Shadow Realm. No wonder he was insane.

I found him huddled in the corner farthest away from the door. Dark God was shaking, clutching the fabric of his trousers as he hid his face in his knees.

"Kura-Bakura?" He lifted his face, just enough that I could see his red eyes through his hair.

"Yeah. It's me," my voice was tight, strangled. What had happened to him?

"I think I did a bad thing," Dark God muttered as he hid again.

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"W-when I…we…" he gestured with his hands, threading his fingers together, wordlessly trying to say 'merge', "…I saw things, felt things, knew things. Things that we hadn't seen before. Your…morals? The things I've done…are they bad?"

"I don't understand," I really didn't. What was Dark God talking about?

"I killed people," he shook his head violently, as if to clear away unwanted thoughts. "But back then they weren't people, they were- "

"Meat. They were just meat to you," I finished for him. I remembered that bit about him, his complete disregard for human life. He saw people as less that human, just moving sacks of muscle, blood, and bones.

He nodded, "Yes. Just obstacles. Just meat. And what do you do with meat?"

I thought that I knew what he was referring to the moment he said it, but I refused to think about it. But then it became too obvious, to horrifying to ignore.

What did you do with meat? You ate it.

"You – you ate people?" I felt like vomiting.

"Only a few," he admitted casually. I couldn't look away from him, too scared to look away. "But I was so hungry…so empty. And My Queen…the last time we were together, she said 'no' a lot. It was 'Nononono, please stop this.' I don't understand…"

Then Dark God sighed, his shaking subsiding. His eyes closed, but he still asked, "Did I do a bad thing?"

"Yes," my voice shook.

"Okay," he hummed, not caring about the fact that he committed the greatest taboo during his life. "It feels good now. I feel whole now. Even though the whole remains. It feels good knowing."

"You ate people. You're a cannibal," I tried to understand how that was possible, how someone who was supposedly me once upon a time, could do something like that.

"Yes. The Lord is with you now. You should go," and with that, Dark God hid his face again and started to rock back and forth in his corner. He would speak no more.

I was glad for that, in a way. I didn't want to know anymore.

* * *

"**Time to wake up, Shattered Soul."**

I groaned, not wanting to open my eyes. Everything hurt here. I had the most massive headache and my limbs felt like lead. At least this bed was comfortable.

Actually, now that I thought about it, the bed was really comfortable – like it was made of that NASA foam that you see advertised on television. I'd never slept on a bed made of that stuff before, not even at Atlantis. Where was I?

Wherever it was, it had damn comfy beds.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled.

"I told you. He's not a morning person," I heard a female voice sound not far away. It sounded like the girl was laughing a bit.

"**We can see that. Still, he needs to wake up. We don't know how much longer we can hold this form,"** the first voice sounded familiar. I'd heard it before: a thousand million voices shouting at once, but for some reason I could still listen to it without wincing. Now where had I heard it before…oh shit!

My eyes snapped open and there was another me sitting on a chair next to my bed. He raised an unnervingly familiar pale hand and waved it slightly, **"Hello. How nice of you to join us in the world of the living."**

I scrambled to get up and into some defensive position, but I got tangled in the sheets and comforter, nearly falling on the ground. My head hurt, my body hurt, and apparently, Amane though that it was hilarious. I growled at her as she tried to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry," she wheezed. "Its just things have been so gloomy and I just needed to see that."

"Who the hell are you?" I pointed at the imposter sitting in the chair. He looked exactly like me, but his eyes kept changing colour.

"Um, well. Ryou?" Amane stammered, "This is Magic."

"**Just so you know, we don't look like you. You were made to look like us,"** he said off handedly, face never changing expression – not once. He wasn't human at all. **"We apologize for frightening you, but there are somethings that we need to discuss with you."**

"You're Magic?" I frowned, "Prove it."

"**We can recite your entire life story, if you wish. Everything, including the dreams we have been sending you and the lives of the six souls that make you up,"** he blinked. Just blinked. There was nothing even remotely normal about him. He had to be Magic, that was the only explanation for the way his voice was.

"Why didn't you do anything? Why didn't you stop this?" I raged at him.

"**We tried. The Beast had her people set up a barrier so that we couldn't get in,"** Magic explained. **"We can't anticipate anything that has to do with the Orichalcos, so we were caught unprepared for that. We couldn't get in, but we tried. All night, we were smashing at that barrier. You saw us once."**

"I remember," I started to calm down, thinking back to the lights I saw in the sky.

"**We warned you though Duke Devlin. It is not often that we force Fate upon one of his aura. We wouldn't have done it if it were not necessary. If we had gotten in, we would have…"** he closed his eyes in thought for a moment and a shiver of fear ran down my spine at the thought of what this being would have done. When he opened them, they seemed a bit softer, **"He likes you, you know. Duke Devlin. When you passed out, he carried you back. This is his home and his room. He offered the Resistance sanctuary here until everyone's recovered."**

"Really? That was nice of him," I thought aloud.

"A few of your friends found us after you fainted," Amane told me. "When Chazz came back with out the rest of us, Kaiba knew something was wrong. Mai's really nice. And same thing with Marik and Mana."

"They're here? Even Marik and Mana? But – but Mai was the only one that was involved," I was incredibly confused.

"**Mai Valentine got in contact with Marik Ishtar and Mana Oscuro when she was called in and told them what was happening, saying not to go looking for her. They came anyways,"** Magic filled in the blanks. **"She was not impressed, but did welcome the help."**

"So they're here, too. Wait! Chazz! How is he?" I tried to get up again, this time more slowly so that I didn't fall on my face.

"He's fine. He got the blood he needed just in time and they stitched up his side real good," Amane smiled slightly. "He was still doped up on painkillers the last time I saw him. A few of his friends came in to see him."

"That's good," at least we were able to save someone. "But what about everyone else from school?"

Amane flinched, so it wasn't good, "Amane, what are the numbers?"

"Twenty-five confirmed dead. There are about seventy others in the hospital, but there are a few of them aren't expected to make the night," she placed her face in her hands, but she didn't cry. Immediately, Magic got up and went over to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He whispered something in her ear that I couldn't hear, but I could see his eyes.

Magic cared about Amane – like, really cared about her.

Then Magic looked at the door, as if he could hear something. He blinked, turning to me, **"The Commander is coming to check on you again. We need to go. But before we do, listen: nineteen thousand years ago, we started to write a book. We never got to finish it because of the second Cut Off, so we hid it. Find it. It's the best hope you've got."**

Then he was gone and Kaiba was opening the door. He turned and saw that I was up.

"You're awake. Good. We need you two downstairs in about half an hour. We're having a meeting," and then he shut the door again, leaving Amane and I alone.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation," she murmured.

"Kind of," I answered. She walked over and sat down on the chair Magic once occupied, her once-white prom dress was now smudged with dirt, blood, and grime. Her hands clenched the fabric tight.

"I didn't know that you were my brother until we were eleven years old," she blurted out.

"Oh," there wasn't much else I could say to that.

"Mom and dad never told me. I didn't know. I honestly didn't know. And then, when we were dancing at the family reunion –"

"What did Maxinne say?" I asked.

She looked up, "You never heard?"

"No. I knew that she said something, but I didn't know what," I told her.

Amane looked so guilty, "I thought you knew. That's why I blamed you, because I thought…she said 'Don't you think those two are a bit close for brother and sister?' It was the first time I'd heard us called that. I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

She'd been in love with me for that long? How had I not noticed?

"I don't understand. Why me? I'm – I'm your brother, that doesn't make any sense as to why you would ever want me," my voice cracked. I didn't know how to deal with this. I'd rather face another Gigas than be sitting here right now. God, how had I not seen this coming?

"You asked me to marry you," she couldn't look at me.

"I was a kid! You were a kid!"

"I believed you," she whispered. "You called me pretty. You wanted to be with me. Together forever."

I couldn't believe it. All those things that I'd said as a child, innocent and naïve about their true meaning, Amane had believed them. She fell in love with me. She actually fell in love with me. And I'd never known.

She started to ramble, "When I heard Maxinne, I thought that you'd been tricking me. I thought that everyone had been tricking me. I was just so mad at the world and I wasn't thinking straight. I never should have left you, Ryou. I'm so sorry. I've been so horrible to you."

"I wasn't boy –repellant, was I?" My brain decided to click in at that point. Suddenly, Amane being nervous to ask me to prom made sense.

"No," she admitted.

"You tried to kiss me once. On the couch," I finally understood what that was, all those months ago.

"Yes. That was around the time Magic started visiting me. I thought he was you. I thought we were together," Amane's knuckles were white against her skin.

"You thought we were…holy shit! Holy shit!" This had to be some kind of dream. There was no way that this was real. Amane couldn't be telling me this. What was I going to do? I didn't want her to go away but I was scared of what her being close meant. What should I do?

"Ryou," she looked at me and I couldn't look away. She reached forwards and grabbed me by the shirt I was wearing, pulling me forwards and –

Oh god. Kissing. Amane was kissing me. She was _kissing_ me. Not as a sister, not as a friend, but…oh god.

And the scariest thing was that my hand moved against my will, touching her face softly as I actually leaned into her kiss. I didn't respond, but I leaned in. What was I doing?

Amane pulled away, a look of confusion on her face, "What was that?"

"I don't know," my throat felt raw.

"You didn't push me away," awe and shock filled her voice.

"I don't know why I did that," I stared at my hand like it belonged to someone else. Why had I done that?

"You're eyes don't change colour," she whispered. "I wanted them to change colour."

"They're not going to anytime soon," I informed her.

We both stared at each other for a second before simultaneously saying, "This is so weird." Realizing that we just finished each other's sentence (classic twin behaviour), we both burst out into hysterical laughter.

Maybe we both needed to laugh. After all the horrible things that happened, we both needed to just let loose. And if kissing was what made possible for us to laugh again, then I wasn't against what just happened.

I doubted that things were going to get awkward between us. Because we were together, in a way. Not in the romantic sense, but in something that was just as strong. Amane was my sister, but she was also one of my greatest friends.

And I loved her for that.

* * *

"Look who's up," Amane called as we descended the stairs together. The moment I reached the landing, something barreled into me.

"You're alive. Oh, thank god, you're alive," Tea's grip on me was almost bone crushing. And speaking of bones, mine were complaining very loudly to this treatment.

"Ribs! Ribs! Ribs!" I cried.

"Oh! Sorry!" She let go immediately, stepping back. Behind her, I spotted Duke who was grinning ear to ear. He gripped my shoulder in a friendly way I was unused to.

"I knew you'd be alright. I just knew it."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Chazz?" I asked.

Duke nodded his head to a different room and I followed him into what looked like what had formerly been an office. Except now the desks had been shoved to the side, making room for two rows of beds and medical equipment. And there, coming down the path in the middle was Marik – for of course it was he.

"Fluffy! And here I never thought that I'd see you moving before twelve," he grinned sadistically.

"Don't ever call me that in public ever again, brat," I growled at him, though I wasn't angry. I couldn't even keep the smile off my face as my best friend punched me lightly in the shoulder.

"Only you would run off to a fight in a suit," Marik rolled his eyes at me as Mana popped around the corner, her arm in a sling. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me it was just a sprained wrist.

"It's just that everyone's so out of energy right now that they're going to let it heal naturally. It's all right. I don't really mind it much," she smiled sweetly. Then she looked behind me, "Oh hello! Nice to meet you all again. I'm just glad it's under better circumstances this time. You're here to see Chazz Princeton, right? He's this way."

As we moved towards the far end of the room, I frowned, "Where have I heard the name Princeton before?"

"There's a chain of really fancy hotels owned by that family," Duke answered. "Apparently, Chazz is the youngest son of the owner. I should have recognized him. My mother's worked with the family on several occasions. We even had him over for dinner a few times."

"He's rich?" I raised an eyebrow at the figure on the bed, who was really high on morphine at the moment. Chazz had this dazed look in his eyes and was spouting off some weird stuff about marrying some girl. Syrus and two other people sat beside him.

"He'll be out of it for a while," the lady had long dirty blonde hair and deep hazel eyes, "My name's Alexis Rhodes. Chazz and I go way back."

"We all go way back," the other guy grinned, his brown hair flopping in front of his face. "I'm Jaden Yuki. Alexis and I went to Atlantis a while back."

"You know them, Syrus?" I frowned.

"The four of us work together," the lab tech confirmed.

"We're one awesome team!" Jaden grinned, "When Chazz finally gets better, we'll be back on the road before you can say – Ow! 'Lex, that's mean! What'd I do to deserve that?"

"Chazz has a hole in his stomach, Jaden! He needs to get better," Alexis pointed her finger at him, almost maternally.

"Guys, quit fighting. You sound like an old married couple," Syrus sighed.

"…look really good in white, Alexis…" Chazz mumbled in the background.

"How much morphine did they pump into him?" Jaden raised an eyebrow.

"Enough that he won't be feeling anything for a while now," Syrus answered.

"You guys seen Joey around?" Duke asked.

Alexis's eyebrows scrunched together in thought, "He was with his sister a few beds down, let time I checked. It seemed like there was something they needed to talk about."

"Yeah, they do," Duke sighed. I asked what he meant. Winces went around the group behind me.

"Well, uh…Ryou, about Joey…" Amane touched my arm. "He's really torn up about Tristan."

"Well, yeah. His best friend died in front of him. Of course he's torn up," I frowned.

"They weren't just friends," Tea stressed.

"I don't get it."

"Joey's gay, Bakura," Amane admitted. My jaw dropped. He was what? "He and Tristan were together."

"None of us knew. They even kept it secret from Serenity. No one even guessed," Tea seemed shocked just thinking about it.

"Magic talked to us, before he went upstairs to talk to you," Duke explained. "He gave Joey this book – Tristan's Life Book, he called it. It had everything that Tristan ever thought, ever did in it. Tristan…he saw the attack coming. He threw himself in front of Joey. He died for him."

"Miho's coping. She always liked Tristan, that was obvious. Joey said that Tristan liked her, too. But he died for Joey. He's dead," Tea looked ready to cry again.

Joey looked like something large with pointy teeth had tried to eat him, only to find him too stringy and spit him out. His eyes showed that he hadn't slept since last night and his hands shook as he turned the pages of a large novel with gentleness I didn't know he had.

"It isn't a sin, Joey. You heard what he said: you're not going to Hell for loving someone," Serenity whispered to her brother. Beside her, Miho rung her hands together.

"It was wrong. I'm not – I'm not gay," he never took his eyes off the book, though. It was all he had left of Tristan.

"Nothing's wrong with being gay, Joey," I said as we came up.

"How would you know?" He hissed, "You don't know what its like being like this. You don't know what it's like to be wrong."

"He does know that he's saying this to a bunch of Others, doesn't he?" I'd almost forgotten that Marik was here. It was so weird, having the two lives that I'd been living for almost a year to finally be existing together at the same time.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Joey growled at him.

"Do you know what the Ward is?" Marik stepped forwards, lips a thin line. "It's a part of Enchantment magic that makes Normals like you fear and hate us. It's why you've always been scared of Bakura in the back of your mind. It's why you've done the things you've done to him."

"We just picked on him," Joey stood up. "That's it. It was never anything major –"

"Never anything major? You knocked me out, stripped me naked, and tied me to a poll," I yelled. Serenity gasped beside her brother. I guessed that she never knew that it was him.

"It was a joke! It was just a joke! It wasn't this!" He yelled.

I decided to tell him something just then; something that I'd never told anyone else before, "I almost killed myself afterwards."

"W-what?" He looked shocked.

"I was really contemplating just ending it all because of what you did. But then someone stopped me," I glanced over to Duke, because it had been him all those years ago who walked in on me. He was the reason I decided not to go through with it. "But I wanted to do it. I thought I was crazy because I could see the spirits of the dead and that there were voices in my head. I just wanted to die. I know what it's like to be wrong."

"There was a boy in one of the foster homes I lived in," Mana whispered. "He used to watch me…in the showers. I was so scared of him. I used to…" she knelt down, pulling her collar aside to show the old scar lines that had been cut into her shoulder. She used to cut herself. "We're all wrong in some way, Joey Wheeler. But then, that means that we're all right at the same time. You're not alone."

"Enough chit chat," I turned to see that Kaiba had come to find us. "I said half an hour, not an hour and a half. Come on. We need to talk. Now."

* * *

We all met in the main dining room. Kaiba took his place at the head of the long table, Kisara to his immediate right. His brother Mokuba sat to his left. Atem sat beside her youngest son. When she saw me, her face lit up in a bright smile that made my stomach do a complex series of gymnastics maneuvers.

"Bakura, over here," she indicated to the chair next to her. I parted from the group and sat next to her as her official apprentice.

As the Normals sat in the empty seats at the end of the table, I looked at the other occupants. Mai was on the other side and a bit farther down. She raised her hand and waved when she saw I was looking. Beside her sat Jaden, his team (with the exception of the bed ridden Chazz) stood behind him. Ishizu and Mahad sat side-by-side, heads high and hands held. Beside them, sat Pegasus who grudgingly acknowledged my presence.

There were others that I didn't recognize. Marik led Mana over to where a bald man was sitting. He greeted Marik warmly and nodded to the girl.

Kaiba addressed the newcomers, "You came too late. Your memories of yesterday are set. We aren't going to be able to make you remember it as anything else."

"You were going to wipe our memories?" Duke gasped.

"Yes," he answered as if it was obvious. "You are children, at the end of the day, not warriors. What happened yesterday has aged you. We thought it would be…more humane. And then there is the problem of the Orichalcos."

"That's that stone," Serenity whispered.

"Yes. It was brought back into the world by my father, over twelve hundred years ago," Atem told them. "It has been killing people worldwide ever since. And yes, before you ask: I'm actually that old."

"Back to the topic: now that your memories are set and you do remember everything, you cannot tell anyone of what you saw. We've already altered the memories of your classmates," Kaiba continued. "They are under the option that there was a gas explosion. You need to make sure that you never tell anyone anything different."

"Alright," Tea nodded stiffly, glancing at me. I smiled a little at her.

"Your parents believe you to be in the closed off ward at the hospital. They know you're safe, but they've been told that they can't see you," Ishizu assured them. "When we're done here, we'll sneak you in."

Then her eyes turned completely blue. The people at the table looked towards her, expecting a report. When they went back to normal, she closed her eyes in pain, "Tilla Mook and Pete Coppermine just died."

I remembered those two, vaguely. Pete used to date my sister. Tilla was his long-term friend turned girlfriend. More dead. That's all there was to this. Just death.

"I knew them," Amane whispered.

"I'm sorry," Ishizu told her.

"Then there is the matter of you, Bakura," Mokuba turned to me. "You can't go back to Domino High School, let alone your home. Not with your father becoming a Convert. He survived and he's looking all over for you already."

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

"You need to disappear, leave no trace that you were ever here, and no evidence as to where you're going," he answered.

It took a few seconds for my brain to process what he said. Disappear? I had to leave? "Is that even possible? To erase everything?"

"Noah's deleted my history before," Mokuba grinned and then nodded to his brother, "Seto's too. Yours' won't be a problem."

"You do this, there's no going back, Bakura," Atem told me.

"I understand," I nodded. "But what about my stuff? My backpack has all my clothes in it."

"We managed to salvage it while you were out. I even got some of your books, too," Mai said.

"Thanks."

"And then there is the final matter at hand," Kaiba looked towards the end of the table. "Amane Bakura, you told your father that you knew about your brother. You openly sided with Bakura against him."

"Yes, sir," my sister replied, standing up. She held her head high, her hands clasped behind her back like a military soldier.

"You can't return either," it was the only option. Amane didn't crumble or even twitch. She knew that this was coming. I bet that Magic told her in advance.

"I figured as much," she looked him straight in the eye.

"I know what you are, Ms. Bakura. I can't see into your mind," I thought-smelled burning rubber and I assumed that Kaiba was trying to use Enchantment magic on her. "An Abnormal; the only one in existence. We could use someone like you."

"My mind is complete impregnable, so whatever secrets I learn stay with me no matter what," she told them of her powers. "I'm also really good at computer hacking, if you need someone like that."

"Still, even if you disappear, your father will still look for you," said Mahad.

"He won't if I'm dead."

Immediately, her friends started to protest against what she just suggested. Amane wanted to fake her death and disappear like me. They could stand to loose me – I wasn't as close to them as she was. I understood, but it hurt a bit that they still favoured her more over me.

"He pointed a gun at Ryou's head," Amane spat. "Let him think that the explosion that he helped step off was what killed his daughter. Let him explain that to mom."

I'd never seen her so livid before. Her fists were clenched at her side, shaking with suppressed rage. She stared Seto freaking Kaiba down and ordered him to make her dead.

He agreed, surprisingly. I thought he looked impressed. I scared me a bit.

"Alright. Now that that's covered, we need to talk about our next move," Kaiba Summoned some papers into his hand. A fanged smirk worked its way onto his face, "It exists."

Murmurs went around the room, the people sitting at the table suddenly excited about something. I frowned, leaning towards Atem. She whispered in my ear, "The Thousand Spell Book."

"The Thousand what Book? Can you explain for the new guy in the room?" I raised my hand.

"The Thousand Spell Book is a book that was supposedly written by magic itself, containing every single spell in the history of the world," Mai explained to me. "Even the ones that were forgotten after the Cut Off. We think that there's something in there that might be able to stop the Orichalcos. Something that will help us to win."

"You mean Heavenly Sound. The first human," I remembered what Dark God said in my mind about Heavenly Sound being the one that would destroy the Beast.

"She was Magic's wife. He loves her, even to this day," Amane whispered aloud. Apparently, this was new information.

"How do you know this?" Kisara frowned.

"He talks to me sometimes," she muttered.

"Its not just talking, though, is it, Amane?" Duke looked at her, "You're together."

My sister blushed a bit as all eyes turned to her, "So what if we are? I love him. And even though he can't feel anything even more, he says that if he could, he'd love me."

"Magic's romantic endeavors aside (and I can't believe I just said that), the Thousand Spell Book has been prophesized to contain the location of Heavenly Sound – the woman would will restore Magic to the way it should be or completely destroy it," Mokuba said. "We've been trying to find it ever since Ishizu Spoke of it."

"Our spy says that his boss, the Horseman, recently has been sighted with a large tome. Its ancient beyond anything in the world and its written in a language he can't understand," Mahad relayed this information. "It has to be it: the Thousand Spell Book. It even has the mark on it."

"Mark?" Amane frowned.

"It's like a signature," Ishizu told her. "A really extravagant signature. Whenever you turn a page, four little flames appear on the corners of the pages. They change colour a lot."

She groaned, "That is so like him, to do something like that. But there's one problem: Heavenly Sound is dead."

"I'm supposed to be dead. Maybe someone tried to resurrect her, like you did me," I looked at Atem. She considered that answer with a tilt of her head.

"Or maybe it's a map to her grave and there's something hidden in her bones. Maybe her bones themselves are the answer," she gave alternate answers.

"Maybe we're supposed to resurrect her," Jaden threw in his two cents. "That would be so cool!"

"Well, we're not going to know what to do until we find the damn thing," Kaiba barked. "But at least we know that it actually exists and where to find it."

"But we've never been able to trace down the leader before," said the bald man by Marik. When he turned to look at Kaiba, I could see the burn scar that took up almost half his face.

"We'll find a way, Odion," Ishizu sighed. "We always do. Somehow."

"Well, we better find out soon," I told them. "You do know of the time limit? Two years from now, the war will be over one way or another. Whether we've got the book or not."

No one spoke for a whole moment. And then Kaiba sighed, "We know. There's another thing. It is said that Heavenly Sound will decide who will win the war, so we're not the only ones looking for her and our enemy is a step ahead of us already. If we're going to pull this off, then we're going to have to do it soon. We cannot allow Heavenly Sound to fall into the hands of the Orichalcos."

The meeting continued for another half hour, going over who had died and how much of their supplies had been lost. At some point, Atem turned to me, frowning.

"Why are you going that?" She whispered, pointing to my right hand. My fingers were tapping the table, one after the other, in sets of six. I stopped it, smiling at her.

"No reason."

* * *

_Sunday, May 7__th__, 2017_

The school was pretty quick to arrange a mass funeral. The fire and police crews that were sent to the detonation site where able to dig up about ten bodies that were now going to be buried. The others would have empty graves, nothing but a headstone and a name to show that they died.

Amane would have one of those graves, the only difference being that she was still alive and walking around.

"Its an odd thing, going to your own funeral," she commented beside me as we watched it from afar. "People always say that if they could go, they'd want to see all the people that went and didn't attend. And all I can see is the one person I didn't want to go."

"Amane –"

"Dad threatened to kill you. He came in with the bomb that actually killed all of those people, Ryou. He doesn't deserve to be here," she spat.

I, on the other hand, still hoped that he could be saved. Maybe if he managed to live through the next two years – if we won the war – then he'd be free.

"Marik said that I can live with him while things cool down. Where are you going to go? You said that you'd found a place," I asked.

"Kaiba's offered me a job on a team that lost their hacker to the bomb," she explained. "I'm going to meet with their captain, Vivian, tomorrow at Area 51. Isn't that in Nevada?"

"Apparently its just what they call the place. It's not the actual Area 51," I snickered at the memory. "Maybe we can start a trend to call it the Kaiba Cave, because that's what it looks like to me."

"Could you imagine the guy in a bat suit?" Amane snorted.

"Hell yes," I laughed, but it died quickly as the people attending the funeral began to lay flowers on the caskets, signaling the end of the ceremony.

It was over. Amane was officially dead and buried.

Duke came up with the story to tell our mother. According to him, Amane had discovered the gas leak and got her friends out before it could blow. However, she went back inside to save other people and never made it out. At least, Duke mumbled as my mother collapsed into tears, she went down as a hero.

But they were completely thrown off by her question of, "What about Ryou? What happened to him?"

Tea recovered the quickest and said that I'd disappeared half way through the night and that no one had seen me since. There were whispers floating around, though, that I'd been the one that caused the explosion – something about Amane rejecting my advances. If only they knew the truth.

Tristan's body was amongst those that were discovered. I could see his spirit from her, standing in front of what looked like his parents, elder sister and brother. His arms were flailing as if trying to get their attention.

People were leaving now. Tristan's family wondered off, holding each other like they're just survived a war. This was horrible. Tristan was never supposed to die. These people were never supposed to be this sad, to experience loss like this. Parents shouldn't have to bury their children.

Amane's friends didn't leave. They stayed, even after the caskets were lowered into the ground. They were waiting for us.

"Its time," I heard a voice from behind me. Atem, disguised as Danni Green, was there with us.

"I know," I sighed. "I wish I didn't have to do this, though."

"You promised him that you would help him talk to Tristan again," she told me in a soft voice, knowing what I'd meant. "Come on, I'll help you."

I gathered Amane in my arms and jumped down from the roof we'd been hiding on. We approached the graveyard, under an Invisibility spell. When I was sure no one was looking, I dropped it and revealed us to the others.

"What are you doing here?" Tea hissed, "If you're seen…people are already talking, Bakura. You need to leave!"

"I made a promise to Joey and I intend to go through with it," I looked over to the football player. "Do you want to see him again? Cause he's right there, trying to get you to talk to him."

Tristan's spirit, who had previously been shouting at Joey – "I'm right here, Joey. I'm not dead, just look at me, damn it!" – and attempting to grabbing him by the shoulder's froze. His head turned almost robotically towards me as his mouth hung open.

"You can see me?" He whispered.

"Of course, I can see you, Tristan. I'm a Necromancer. I've always been able to see the dead," I told him. Then I nodded to the Immortal beside me, "She can, too. She's taught me everything I know about Necromancy."

Atem rolled her eyes at me, "There are a bunch of spirits here. I'll take care of them while you do what you need to do."

I nodded and she walked off, eyes glowing a familiar maroon red. Immediately, the spirits of the graveyard swarmed her, asking for help.

I turned back to Joey, "He's right in front of you. Do you want to speak with him? Remember, this is going to be the last time. Your guilt is holding him here and its hurting him. This will be the only time you can say good-bye. Don't waste it."

"Yes," he murmured.

"How about you, Tristan? I'm going to let you possess me – that is, if you want to talk in the first place."

"Do it," he agreed. I reached inside me and let loose the strings of liquid that was my Necromancy magic. I was shoved from my body, entering the world that lacked emotion, feeling of any kind. But for this, I would bare it.

When my vision cleared, Tristan stood in my place, eyes completely red with my magic. He looked at his hands and then to the faces of each of his friends.

"Is it really you?" Joey looked at him in wonder.

"Yeah. It's me," Tristan couldn't believe it himself, by the sound of his voice.

"It wasn't just messing around to me," Joey said suddenly. "It stopped being that a long time ago."

"I know, you idiot," he smirked. "I guess we're out of the closet now."

"Honestly, Tristan," Duke couldn't take his eyes off of his dead friend, "We wouldn't have cared. There's nothing wrong with this."

"Tristan," next came Miho's tiny voice, "I really…l-liked you. I just…I just wanted you t-t-to know, before…"

"I liked you, too," he answered. "It's just…you're not Joey."

"I know," tears ran down her face.

Tristan turned to me, "So what happens now?"

The others turned to me as if seeing me for the first time. I guessed that I was visible to all people when I was like this. I winced, "Well, whenever the guilt that's holding you back is gone, you'll be sent onwards."

"It is going to hurt?" He looked scared.

"I don't think so. It's going to look like you're on fire, but it won't hurt," I told him.

"So when does that – mhnn!"

Tristan was cut off by Joey grabbing him by the collar and kissing him fiercely. It was like this was the last time that they could do this – and then I realized that this was actually the last time they had together. Their last kiss. Their last everything.

Joey pulled back and hissed, "I love you, Tristan" into his lips. The other boy held on for dear life, not wanting to be separated from his partner.

"I love you, too, Joey," he muttered back. Then demonic red flames erupted around his body and those liquid strings of magic pulled me back. I opened my eyes and fell to the ground, revealing in the feel of the grass beneath my feet.

A small hand tugged at my shoulder. I looked up and saw the solid, living face of Rebecca Hawkins.

"Mr. Bakura," she threw her small arms around my waist. I held her, knowing that she'd finally chosen to move onwards. My first friend was going to leave me.

"She wants to see her grandfather," Atem, looking ghostly and transparent, told me. A small ball of red fire flickered in the middle of her chest, "Do you know where he lives?"

I nodded, rising to my feet and picking Rebecca up, placing her on my shoulders. I turned to Amane and her – my – Normal friends, "You wanna come?"

They nodded and we began to walk towards the home of Arthur Hawkins. Amane pulled on a large brimmed hat, tucking her hair underneath it and placing a pair of sunglasses on, to disguise her face. It wouldn't be good if a dead woman were spotted walking around.

"How do you do it?" Duke asked suddenly. I turned to him as Rebecca started playing with my hair, silently asking him for clarification, "How do you go through each day know what you do? How do you walk through the halls of our stupid-ass high school, knowing about magic and creatures from another realm and realizing that there's so much more to everything?"

I didn't have an answer for him, but Amane did, "Honestly? You just get used to it after a while. I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but its only one we've got."

"Why did you save us?" Serenity turned to me.

I blinked, "You're human, aren't you? That's reason enough."

"But you could have died," she looked at me, amazed.

"There are worse things to die for," I shrugged.

Arthur Hawkins was mowing his lawn when we first saw him. As Rebecca squirmed on my shoulders, Atem told the others to hide someplace where they would not be seen. The little girl squealed as I set her down on the ground and held her hand. She waved frantically at her grandfather.

He turned and saw us, not believing her eyes. Amane let her disguise down; it gave the illusion that there was more than one ghost hanging around me. I smiled, nodding in respect towards the old man. He collapsed to his knees and started to pray.

Rebecca was engulfed in flames and suddenly I was holding Atem's hand. Before Mr. Hawkins looked up, I glanced back at Duke and the others, smiling at them. This wasn't goodbye; I'd be back in two years and then we could explain everything then.

Amane had been provided with a phone by Atlantis and pulled up the PORT app at the same time as me. The option of KaibaCorp Headquarters and Atlantis School for the Gifted popped up.

I turned towards Atem. She squeezed my hand once before letting go.

"I'll see you in a few months, apprentice," she smiled, before disappearing into a swirl of black mist. Amane and I spoke at the same time.

"Activate PORT."

For a second, nothing happened. Then –

Everything's gone black. It's dark, so maybe I've closed my eyes or maybe I haven't. I don't know. And I'm falling. Why am I falling? I just –

* * *

So that's it.

Well, not really. This story is far from over. Instead, this is the end of my first year as an Other. Kaiba canceled the exams, by the way. Something about loosing too much equipment and not being able to pull off what he wanted. He was the only one that was really disappointed in the end. Everyone else (everyone sane) breathed a sigh of relief.

After that, I went with Marik to his place and hung out there all summer. I think I've mentioned this before, but Marik is rich as hell. His house is really big for a place in San Francisco. Hell, it's big for a place in Domino City. Mai, Mana, and the others came over to visit for a few weeks. I even learned to drive (illegally, as I had no official license) that summer. It was pretty awesome.

It was a welcomed break from the hell that I'd just been put through. And it was what kept me sane during the next two years – that sense of teenaged normalcy. Because I was about to be dumped right back into it all.

We found the Thousand Spell Book. Nearly killed myself and Atem to do it, but we got it. We fought tooth and nail for those words that were printed on its pages against the Horseman of the Apocalypse himself.

But we got it.

We found out what the scars on Marik's back meant. We discovered the location of a Death Touch and brought him into the world of Atlantis before he could cause anymore harm to the people he loved. We found that a pair of Ancients were still alive, one of them having escaped the destruction of Tikal twelve hundred years ago.

I discovered Atem's greatest tragedy. It shocked me to my very core and I still wonder, to this day, if we could have...made it work . Magic said that we could have, but Dartz took that option from us. That son of a bitch took her from me.

We discovered why I look like Magic. I took on a title, like the spirits before me. We even found out exactly what they were and why I had dreams of my first life. We found out everything.

When I first met you, I wondered why you decided to click on the link that led you here, if it was morbid curiousity or something else. I ask you know, knowing what you do, if you want to continue. Do you want to know the rest of the story? It's not pleasant, but then again, it is war. There are no victories in war, only blood and death and those who manage to survive.

So I will ask you again, what will you do? Back out now, remain ignorant of the truth, live as a Normal. Or you can read on. The choice is yours.

This is usually the place where most authors write the words 'The End' at the bottom of the page. But I'm not going to, simply because this is not the end. It's not even the middle of the story, where I could get away with saying 'To Be Continued.' So I will finish this part with words that simply describe it as it is and leave you to your decision.

**The Beginning**

* * *

**Holy crap. It's done.**

**This is normally where I say thanks to all those who reviewed for the last chapter. But this time I'm going to do something a little different. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed for The Others: The First Year, since the beginning:**

**Chizome, ColonKellyHigginsGoil304, Melvinnnn, Eleanora-Griffindor, Darktiger09, Blue September, Akikee, First Lady Lestat, EgyptianSoul.88, Coolaloo, Calxes Ayrie, Danyeda Goofy Panterita, CrashTheMIGHTY, SRRH, Phobias Athena, Malik'sStalker, Yaminisu, Yuui, Eb-Iv-Rachel-Liz-Ali-Tonia, bookworm 5315, AsianWolf, YamixSetoFanatic94, kenjiilicious, Kyo's 1 lover, ilovemanicures, Riv-chan, Inopportune Opportunist, zukofan2005, VivienneLaFaye, and InsanityByDefinition.**

**I'd also like to thank all of you who favourited this story or put it on story alert.**

**And finally, I have one more person to thank: you. If you've found The Others: The First Year and read through it, even years after I finish this, I want you to know that I am thanking you for taking the time to do this. Knowing that someone has read my work and enjoyed it is something that puts a smile on my face at the end of the day.**

**And now to answer a few questions that may have come up in this chapter.**

**First of all: Bakura has finally met Magic. If you want to see more of Amane's relationship with Magic, I suggest checking out The Abnormal: Amane's Tale. Things will make a bit more sense if you do that.**

**Personally, the only reason that Bakura didn't freak out a bit more about Magic and his sister being together is because he was coming out of a mini-coma. Had he been more alert, he would have gone full-on protective 'Don't make me cut that hand off' brother on him. For those of you who were a bit disappointed with at scene, don't worry. It's coming.**

**Second: Amane kissing Bakura and him sort of-kind of kissing her back. This is a display of attractive vs. love. Bakura is only capable of romantically loving Atem, however, that does not mean that he is incapable of being attracted to other women. Since the first eleven years of his life practically revolved around Amane, his psychological 'love map' is different from most people (the same goes for Amane, though her's is obviously to the extreme). Bakura is attracted to his sister, though it is muddled in with his love for her as a sibling.**

**Third: Holy crap, Joey is gay. Yes, he has _always_ been gay. Yes, he has been hiding it and he's been hiding it well because he thought it was a sin. No one guessed, not even Serenity. He and Tristan were together throughout the entire book. Tristan, on the other hand, is _not_ gay. He started off as a heteroflexible character (he classifies himself as straight, but anything goes once he's got a few beers in him) but then once things got serious with Joey, he started to fall in love with him and entered a very limited, Joey-centric area of bisexuality. He did like Miho, but that was just a small crush.**

**Joey and Strings (my other gay character) represent the two sides of acceptance that I see a lot in gay men these days. There is Strings, who has completely accepted himself. But not only is he openly gay, but Strings is not afraid to be exactly who he is. He dresses the way he wants, does what he wants, and acts the way he wants. He is simply comfortable with who he is. If you accept him, okay. If not, then fine. He doesn't expect that everyone will accept him, but he treasures those who do as his close friends.**

**Joey, on the other hand, does _not_ except who his is. He even used to deny being gay to Tristan, who knew better than anyone else that he was. He felt conflicted between his religion and who he actually was. And Joey is very gay, not in the sense that he wants to act like a stereotypical gay man, but that he has _never_ looked at a woman and found her attractive before and that scared the living crap out of him when he started going through puberty. Like Bakura and Mana, he used to cut himself and almost committed suicide once (he nearly overdosed, but Tristan saved him). The only thing that would make him come out of the closet was, much like Amane, the death of the person he loved.**

**Fourth: The Thousand Spell Book. Finding this book is going to be the focus of The Second Year. I'm not going to say much about it, other than that Magic never completed it.**

**Hopefully that answers any of your questions. If you have anymore, don't hesitate to ask. I hope that you enjoyed The First Year and I can't wait to hear from you all come The Second Year.**

**Until next time,**

**AlcatrazOutpatient**


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